Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Felice, the worst thing just happened to me,” Wille complained as soon as the call connected, sitting down heavily on his couch.

“Well, hello to you too, Wille,” his best friend said, both her tone and the smile on her face way too teasing for his liking. He was having a crisis.

“I can never leave my house again,” Wille continued, throwing his head back on the back of the sofa.

“Why don’t you start by telling me what happened, uh?” Felice suggested with a small laugh. She knew him well enough to know it wasn’t actually anything realistically bad, no matter how it felt to him at that very moment.

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Wille had lived in Stockholm most of his life, apart from when he was sent off to Hillerska by his mother, as it had been a family tradition for many generations. Wille hadn’t cared much about that and had been very much opposed to the idea at first – he’d eventually warmed up to the school and had met some of his closest friends there. He’d always liked living in the big city just fine, enjoying the many possibilities it offered, whether it be in restaurants, bars, parks, or the place in itself as a whole. After graduating from university, he’d considered moving to the suburbs or further away from the capital a couple times, but it had only ever been a distant thought in his mind, a possibility for a more or less close future.

But it had all changed when he met Leo.

Wille had mentioned a few times to his brother and his friends that he’d love to get a pet, preferably a dog. It had always been something he’d wanted deep down from a very young age, but his mother would have never agreed to it, so he kept it in until he was a grown-up adult, living on his own – no one could tell him no now, he was the one to decide. So, when Erik had called him in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon when both of them were supposed to be working, Wille had known something was going on. As it turned out, one of Erik’s office friends had a pregnant dog who’d given birth to five puppies, and they were looking for people to adopt three of them.

That was how, at the end of that same afternoon, Wille had found himself in his brother’s car, driving to said colleague’s house. The second Wille’s eyes had landed on the smallest, quietest pup of the litter, he’d known it was the one. And it had seemed like the feeling was mutual as the little dog stayed glued to his side for the entirety of the time Wille had spent there. Erik had fallen in love with one of the puppies as well and, after a phone call with his girlfriend, had decided to adopt one too. After that visit, it had been two more agonizingly long weeks before the brothers had been able to take their new little dogs home with them.

From that very moment, Leo and him had become inseparable.

He had to admit it had been a little challenging at first, learning how to take care of a dog and how to train him, but Wille had enjoyed every single moment of it. After a month of having Leo, he had seriously started to consider moving to a place that wasn’t his small one-bedroom apartment, where his dog could have a small yard to run around, and where they could go on long walks closer to nature. He was lucky enough to work remotely so he’d be able to move out of Stockholm without quitting his current job and have to look for a new one in his new place of residence. After a few weeks of looking, helped by his brother and his best friend, he’d found a nice little house forty minutes outside of the city, with a backyard, and two bedrooms, one of which he’d be able to use as an office. It hadn’t taken long for him to pack up all his belongings and move into his new home with a then four-month-old puppy. It had taken a few weeks to get properly settled in, buying furniture, and decorating his new space, all while taking care of a little dog. But Wille had loved every second of it as well.  

He had thought about the move for weeks, being a little scared that he might feel lonely away from the people he knew, not having met any of his neighbours yet, but he quickly found out it wasn’t the case. Leo was great company, always keeping him busy, making him laugh or smile more than he’d ever had in his life. He was completely head over heels for his new companion, which earned him many teasing comments from his friends and family. But he didn’t care. It was also easy enough for Erik and Felice to come visit him on the weekends, or for Wille to drive into the city.

All in all, adopting Leo and moving out of Stockholm seemed to be the best decision he’d ever made.

After a month of living in their new home, they had fallen into a practised daily routine. Wille would let Leo out into the backyard while he slowly woke up and made breakfast. Then, they’d eat together, Wille at the counter and Leo on the floor not too far from him. After that, Wille would start his work day, and the dog would try to get Wille to play with him but eventually settle down in his bed in the office. During his morning break, Wille would have a second cup of coffee while Leo ran around outside again, catching the toy he’d throw at him. Then more work. Once they’d both eaten lunch, they’d go on a short walk around the neighbourhood. The afternoons were pretty similar to the mornings, ending with a longer walk to tire Leo out – something that seemed impossible – and allow Wille to reach his number of daily steps. Weekends were filled with a lot of playing, cuddling on the couch, and going on walks across fields or into the forest. There was the occasional visit from Erik, his girlfriend and their dog as well, during which Leo and his sister would run around the backyard, going absolutely crazy and enjoying the time they got to play together.

Wille’s favourite part of any day had to be their evening walk around the neighbourhood, after which they’d go home and just chill on the sofa or the bed until they fell asleep. It was on one of those evening walks, in mid-spring, when Wille’s life was forever changed.

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Wille had never been one of those people who thought looks mattered all that much, who would go the extra mile to get dressed or style his hair for work, to go to class, or to hang out with his friends. Yes, he liked to look nice, like everyone did, but it usually stopped at a clean shirt, nice-fitting trousers and hands run through his hair, over and over again. Following that same logic, since getting Leo, he had never made too much of an effort when it came to his appearance to go on their daily walks around the neighbourhood, especially late in the evening. But when he crossed paths with the most beautiful human he had ever seen on a Saturday evening, he found himself wishing he’d been wearing something better than good to wash joggers, his old well-loved Hillerska hoodie which had a stain or two on it, and sliders with mismatching socks on. His hair had also seen better days, having probably needed to be washed the previous day. In that moment, Wille had wished the ground could have swallowed him whole.

He wished the same now as he burrowed deeper into the cushions on his couch, recounting the events to Felice.

“You don’t get it, I looked like a mess,” he explained, letting out a frustrated groan once he’d explained what was going on. The only thing he managed to do was make his best friend laugh through the phone. “With my greasy hair, dirty clothes and a bag of dog poop in my hand.”

That last part only made her laugh even harder, making his frown deepen. “Come on, Wille, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” she managed to say, once she’d recovered.

“It was,” he contradicted her, sounding almost whiny now. “Even on a good day I would have looked bad next to him. But today,” he added, getting looks of pity from both Felice on the screen and Leo sitting next to him.

“He was this pretty, uh?” his best friend asked, looking way too amused for his liking through the screen. Could she, for once, not laugh at how much of an embarrassment he always was? He really hated her sometimes (no he didn’t).

“He really was,” he answered the question, letting out a heavy sigh at the end of it.

“What did he look like?” she asked then, her curiosity finally winning over her desire to make fun of him.

“Brown eyes, beautiful dark curls falling over his forehead, flawless skin,” he described, although it didn’t do the man’s beauty justice. Wille hadn’t gotten the chance to look at him in more detail though, too embarrassed about what he looked like to risk attracting more attention to himself.

“Sounds just like your type,” Felice said with a smirk, making him roll his eyes.

“I don’t have a type,” Wille muttered, although he very much did. And this man was just it. Though the stranger was prettier than anyone he might have had a crush on in the past.

“Sure you don’t,” his best friend replied with a knowing laugh. “Well, maybe you’ll see him around again,” she added next, offering him a hopeful smile.

Part of Wille hoped he would, if only to get another chance to look at this gorgeous man. But another part of him wished he never would, not wanting to make more of a fool than he already had, looking like he did. He knew the man would probably fill his dreams for at least the next week though.

“I don’t even want to imagine how I’ll embarrass myself next time,” he replied, running a hand over his face and then through his hair, “if I ever do see him again, that is.”

“Look, I gotta run now,” Felice told him, and he only realized then that she looked like she was going out, with both her hair and makeup done. “Don’t drive yourself crazy thinking it over, alright?” she said, not waiting for an answer before she spoke again – they both knew he was going to overthink it anyway. “Bye, love you.”

“Love you too,” Wille replied just before she hung up. He caught his reflection in his dark screen and let out another frustrated groan. Leo looked at him with his bright wide eyes; Wille could almost detect pity in his gaze if he stared long enough. He really needed to wash his hair, and take a shower. God, he was a mess.

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Wille’s life went back to its usual course after that fateful Saturday. He almost forgot about the man on the street – almost – focusing on work and playing with Leo instead. His puppy was growing more and more as the days went back, and he was also learning more and more tricks with their training sessions. Wille was quite proud of himself for managing to achieve that mostly on his own, always giving an extra treat or two as a reward. But it was okay, he always made sure to take Leo on long enough walks to compensate.

It was two weeks later, on a Saturday again, that his life was changed forever. Wille had been woken up by Leo a little before eight, the dog asking to be let out into the backyard – which in itself wasn’t unusual. When that happened, he would let Leo out and then go back to bed, maybe get an extra hour of sleep or just read a bit as the dog lay at his feet. But he felt particularly awake and motivated that morning, so he decided to do a deep clean of the house. After having breakfast, he vacuumed the entire place, and then decided to mop the floor downstairs. He’d let Leo out in the garden with a few of his toys and a bone when he’d started, hoping to keep him occupied long enough for Wille to be able to finish cleaning. Only when he was done and waiting for the floor to dry did he step outside.

He expected Leo to come running to him as soon as he stepped foot outside, as the dog normally would, but it didn’t happen. Odd . His eyes roamed the backyard but didn’t see the pup anywhere. Even weirder. He called out his name, knowing that the dog would come running when he heard it. But Wille got nothing in return. Now he was starting to get worried. If Leo wasn’t outside, where was he? Could he have possibly walked back inside without Wille hearing or seeing him? Maybe he was upstairs, lying in his bed in the office, or the bedroom? Wille quickly made his way back inside and up the stairs to check, looking into both rooms as well as the bathroom. But Leo wasn’t there either.

His dog was nowhere to be found.

Now Wille was full-on panicking. Where had his dog gone? How could he possibly have vanished like that? He ran back downstairs just as his phone started ringing, Felice’s contact name and photo lighting up his screen.

“Hey, now’s not a good time,” he said as he picked up, not bothering with a proper greeting. He sounded breathless, both from running around the house and the worry growing in his chest.

“What’s wrong?” Felice asked, knowing him well enough to know right away.

“I can’t find Leo,” he replied, and saying it aloud just made the situation even worse.

“What do you mean you can’t find him?” Felice asked, the worry in her tone obvious.

“I mean he’s not in the garden nor inside the house,” Wille explained. “He was outside while I was mopping the floors and once I was done, I went out to check on him and he wasn’t there. I can’t find him anywhere,” he managed to say, his words coming out faster and faster the more panicked he got.

“Have you checked everywhere?” she asked, even though she knew he must have, otherwise he wouldn’t be panicking like that. “He can’t have gone very far,” she added – which, true, but where was Leo then?

“Yes, I’ve looked everywhere,” he confirmed. “What if he managed to sneak out of the backyard and ran away?” he thought out loud, even though he had no idea how the dog could have managed to do that; there was a fence all around the backyard.

“If that were the case, he’s tagged and he has a collar, someone would bring him back to you.” Felice answered, trying to reassure him. But it didn’t work.

“But what if someone took him? And they won’t bring him back?” he said then, knowing he was thinking the worst. But he couldn’t help it.

“Wille, take a deep breath, try to calm down,” her soft voice sounded through the phone. “We’re going to find him,” she added, even though she wasn’t there with him. But he knew she’d be on her way over immediately if he said the word.

“I can’t,” he replied, rubbing a hand over his chest like he used to do back when he was a teenager and his anxiety would get really bad, when things always seemed bigger than they were, and he didn’t yet know how to handle and manage it. He needed to get it together though, and to focus. Having a panic attack now wouldn’t help him finding Leo.

He barely registered that Felice had started to say something when he heard the ring of the doorbell, sounding incredibly loud and yet faraway at once. It was probably the first time he’d heard it since he’d moved here. Erik and Felice usually knocked when they arrived, they never used the doorbell.

Could it mean someone had found Leo?

“Wait,” he quickly cut her off, having no idea what she’d even been saying. “Someone’s at the door. I’ll call you right back,” he added, not waiting for her to answer before he hung up. He threw his phone on the couch and rushed to the front door, unlocking and opening it in record speed.

When he opened it, he was met with familiar big brown glossy eyes, making all his worries go away. The previous feeling of panic left his body and was replaced by relief and utter happiness.

Because Leo was here.

For a moment, Wille had thought he might never see him again – he might have been overreacting a little bit, but who could blame him?

But Leo was here.

“Oh my god,” Wille let out, letting the relief consume him, feeling like he could breathe properly again.

Only then did his brain register the arms holding Leo up and the shoulders to which they were attached. Wille felt breathless once more when his eyes settled on the person’s face, but for a totally different reason this time.

“Hi,” the man standing on his doorstep said, offering him a shy looking smile. 

“Um, hi,” Wille replied, somehow struggling to get a simple greeting out. Great job Wille.

Only then did he realize that he hadn’t bothered getting dressed this morning, only putting on sweatpants over his underwear but skipping a shirt, meaning he was standing shirtless in front of the man he thought he’d never see again. The man from the other week. Well, at least his hair was clean this time. Though he was sure he still looked like a mess, his cheeks no doubt a bright red from the cleaning, running around, and now the other man’s presence.

The most beautiful man he’d ever seen was here, standing on his doorstep, holding his dog. He was even more beautiful than Wille remembered; his memories didn’t do him justice. 

“This little guy seems to have found his way into my backyard,” the man explained. Even his voice was pretty. 

Leo chose that moment to start moving around in his arms. Wille extended his hands towards the other, carefully taking Leo from him. He felt the last of his panic disappear as he held the dog’s body against his chest. He was vaguely aware of his cheeks heating up even more when the skin of his hands brushed against the man’s.

“Sorry about that,” Wille replied, still trying to make sense of what was happening. In the man’s backyard? Did that mean the other lived nearby? What were the chances of that? But also, why had Wille not seen more of him then if he lived this close? Granted, it wasn’t like he’d paid much attention to his neighbours, but still. He’d have noticed him.

“Don’t worry about it, he’s really cute,” the man brushed it off, looking down at Leo before moving his eyes back up to meet Wille’s. The puppy decided right then that he’d had enough of it and started wiggling in Wille’s arms as well. He put him down on the freshly cleaned floor of the hallway and pulled the door closer to him, making sure Leo wouldn’t be able to go back out through it and run out into the street.

When he turned back to face the man again, the other was still looking at him, though his eyes seemed to have been focused on something lower than Wille’s head, but they snapped back up the moment Wille looked at him again. Right, he was still standing here shirtless, probably making the man a little uncomfortable.

Wille cleared his throat, the extended silence making him anxious. “Well thank you so much, for bringing him back,” he said, mentally patting himself on the back for managing to put so many words together. It seemed like the last five minutes had made his brain stop working properly.

“No problem, I live right next door so,” the man – his neighbour, apparently – replied. “I’ll just go now,” he added, taking a few steps back, “have a good day.” The man smiled at him before turning away and walking back to his house. 

Wille was going to dream about this beautiful smile for the next week. At least.

“You too,” Wille barely managed to answer before the man was out of earshot. He watched as the other disappeared into the next-door house, his brain apparently feeling the need to actually make sure he really and truly was his neighbour.

Wille stood there for a few more seconds, staring at his empty door step, wondering what the fuck had just happened. As if Leo disappearing hadn’t been enough of a rollercoaster of emotions, the person finding him had to be the most beautiful man Wille had ever seen, and who’d seen him at far from his best both times.

What were the chances of him seeing the other again? And of them actually living next to each other?

There was something thrilling about it, knowing he could see the man again. But he also dreaded it a little, not even wanting to imagine what the other might have thought about him. He’d been a mess, both times so far. He’d hardly made a good impression just then. But at least, now that he knew the man lived so close to him, Wille might be more prepared for the next time he’ll run into the other. Maybe he’d have to make an effort on his appearance when he took Leo out for a walk, or whenever he left the house really. Just in case.

Walking back inside the house, Wille found the dog lying on the couch, looking up at him when he came closer. He looked like the perfect picture of innocence; despite the fright he’d just given Wille. He closed the bay window, not wanting the dog to run away again or his neighbour to potentially hear him talking to Felice. He had to call her back.

“You really scared me,” he said, sitting down next to Leo and running his hand over his fur, so relieved that nothing bad had actually happened. He grabbed his phone with his other hand and called Felice back. She picked up on the second ring.

“Wille, what the hell? It’s been like five minutes, I was going crazy over here,” she said, her voice sounding agitated through the speaker of his phone.

“Sorry. We’re okay, Leo’s here,” he reassured her, hearing her let out a sigh on the other end. “It seems like he’s found a way to go from my backyard to the one next door,” he explained. “My neighbour brought him back.”

“Oh my god,” she let out in relief. “Well, I’m glad everything’s fine then,” she added, any trace of worry that had previously been there disappearing from her voice. “So that means you finally met a neighbour?” she asked then.

“I did,” he confirmed. He hadn’t really met any of his close neighbours yet, only a few people around the neighbourhoods who also had dogs or were out and about when he walked past their house. They’d exchange hellos, but Wille hadn’t really talked to any of them.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked, noticing something in his tone right away. And damn her for knowing him so well.

“It’s him, Felice,” he simply said.

“Him who?” she asked, clearly confused and having no idea who he was talking about.

“Him,” Wille repeated, putting emphasis on the word. “The most beautiful man from the other week.”

“No way!” she exclaimed through the phone.

“Yeah,” Wille confirmed, still finding it hard to believe. “Apparently he lives right next door.”

“That’s amazing!” she replied excitedly.

Wille wasn’t so sure about that though. It seemed like there were too many options for him to make a fool of himself in front of the other man now.

“You’re gonna be able to see him again, and get to know him,” she added, apparently having enough enthusiasm for the two of them. “What’s his name?”

“I–” Wille started to say, only to realize he had no idea. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“Wille!” his best friend chastised him. “Did you at least talk to him?”

“Barely honestly,” he admitted, thinking back to how embarrassing he’d been. “In my defence, I was in full panic because of Leo, and I was really not prepared to not only see this man again. But to see him at my door? Holding my dog? Nothing could have prepared me for it,” he explained, sounding whiny at the end. He was way past caring about that when it came to Felice.

“Oh, Wille,” she said, her voice much softer than it had been just before. “It’s okay. You can try talking to him the next time you see him.”

“I don’t know when that’ll be,” he replied, feeling almost sad about it. “We’re living next-door from each other and yet I never saw him come in or out of the house.”

“Well, if you really want to see him again, you can just go up to his door and knock,” his best friend said. As if that was even a possibility. Or something people did.

“Right,” Wille replied with a snort. “And say what?”

“You can thank him again for Leo,” she suggested, “or just introduce yourself.”

“As if I’d ever find the courage to do that,” Wille mumbled in answer, knowing himself well enough to know he’d never do such a thing.

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The week following the incident, Wille was extra careful when he let Leo out into the backyard, always keeping an eye on him. The days were slowly getting warmer, so it was nice to spend time outside, get some sun and listen to the sounds of nature coming back to life after long cold winter days. The same Saturday as the incident, he’d taken a look at the hedge separating his backyard from his neighbour’s, but he hadn’t been able to spot the hole his dog had gone through to find himself next door. The hedge seemed fine to him, so it was truly a mystery how Leo had managed to do that.

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Wille had almost forgotten about it when it happened again. He’d spent the end of the afternoon in town with Felice, just having a coffee and walking around. They’d initially had plans to go to dinner together, but his best friend had cancelled that, needing to go back to Stockholm earlier than she’d first thought. So, Wille had come back home, let Leo out into the garden, and started looking for what he could have for dinner. He eventually settled on a basic dish, some pasta with cheese and tomato sauce. He couldn’t be bothered to do anything more sophisticated, feeling quite tired from the week and being really glad it was finally Friday night. As he waited for the water to boil, he played with Leo for a bit, throwing one of his toys and having the dog bring it back to him. When Wille went back inside, the puppy was busy biting on a discarded bone he’d hid somewhere in the backyard and dug out, so he had let Leo be, focusing on making dinner.

He'd just drained the pasta and was shredding the cheese when the doorbell rang out in the otherwise quiet of the house. Weird. He never got any visitors, and even less so at almost 7. What was even weirder was the fact that Leo hadn’t come back inside and ran to the door like he’d normally do on the rare occasions it had happened. Wille put the cheese down, quickly wiping his hand on a tea towel before he walked over to the door.

“Hi,” he was greeted by his neighbour as soon as the door was open, his neighbour who, once again, was holding his dog.

“Hi,” Wille replied. He hadn’t even noticed Leo had escaped next door again. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes from the moment he’d looked over at the dog last and now. Leo must have made a run for it once he’d been alone outside.

“Guess who came back,” the man said, letting out a small laugh.

And oh, Wille loved that sound. He wanted to hear it again. And again. 

His neighbour was looking at him with twinkling eyes, although a little expectantly. Right. He should probably say something now instead of focusing on the man’s laugh. Or curls. Or eyes. Or his skin – how could it look so smooth?

“Sorry about that,” Wille finally said, taking Leo from the man’s arms and opening the door wider for the dog to go back inside. “I tried to find where he’d gone through to get to yours, but I didn’t see anything,” he explained. He was a little proud of himself for managing to get a full sentence out as the other’s intense and gorgeous brown eyes were on him. 

His eyes were really beautiful. Wille felt like he could get lost in them. And that was what he was doing when he was snapped out of it by the man’s voice. And it was a beautiful voice too –

“Don’t worry about it, it’s no trouble,” the man reassured him once more. Not only was he breathtakingly beautiful with a soft and calming voice, but he had to be kind as well. It was unfair. Wille was so gone already. “He’s really cute,” the man went on, “he was just sniffing around the backyard, and when he saw me through the window, he ran up to it and just looked at me with his head tilted to the side,” he said, letting out another beautiful laugh. “Adorable,” he added.

And oh, how Wille wished the man was talking about him when he said words like ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’. Not that his dog wasn’t these things – he was – but if only Wille could have been the one receiving such compliments.

“Yeah, he’s a sweet little guy,” Wille replied. And who the hell said that? A sweet little guy? Really?

“He is,” the man agreed, shuffling on his feet on the outdoor step. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair now,” he said, and Wille really wanted to disagree. The man was no bother at all, and he could have stayed there looking at him for more time than he cared to admit. He didn’t say any of that though, and instead he stood there saying nothing, looking like the idiot he was.

“Have a good night,” his neighbour eventually said when it seemed like Wille wasn’t going to say anything. The man smiled at him once more. And then he was walking away.

Wille thought he might have smiled back, but he wasn’t sure. He just stared at the man’s retreating figure until he reached his front door. The other must have felt Wille’s eyes still on him because he turned around then, and Wille quickly ducked back inside, closing his own door behind him. He was pretty sure he’d been spotted anyway. He let out a frustrated groan, leaning back against the door. Leo just stared at him, sitting on the floor a few feet away from him.

“Ugh, why do you keep doing that to me?” he said to the dog, whose only answer was to tilt his head to the side, before he walked away from Wille, heading for the kitchen where his food and water were. It was dinnertime after all.

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It happened again the following weekend.

Felice was staying at his house for the night, the two of them having a sleepover like the ones they used to have back in school or university. They’d gone on a long walk with Leo in the afternoon, making the most out of the sunny and unusually warm spring day. Once they made it back home, they’d changed out of their clothes and into pjs for Felice and old gym shorts and a t-shirt for Wille. They’d ordered pizza for dinner and sat on the couch, watching some rom com they’d both seen dozens of times, half of those being when they were hanging out together. Once they’d eaten their food, Felice had managed to convince him – without much effort – to let her paint his nails. Wille had cracked open the glass door to get some fresh air in and drown out the chemical smell of the nail polish. Once his best friend had been satisfied with his lilac nails, she’d taken out some face mask for them to use and had applied it to both of their faces. The masks had to stay on for twenty minutes, which was just what the top coat on his nails needed to dry completely – because yes, apparently, he needed to wear a top coat over the colour, something about it protecting the nail polish and making it last longer. Wille had half complained about it, though he enjoyed the process of having his nails painted, and he also enjoyed seeing the colour on his fingertips for the following days. It was just half-way through those twenty minutes when the doorbell rang. Considering the time it was – just after 8 – Wille had no idea who it could be. Except maybe –

He only took one look outside to realise Leo was no longer lying in the grass with his favourite stuffed animal. The elephant lay alone, discarded on the ground, with no Leo in sight. So, there could only be one person at the door: his neighbour. Wille sat there with wide eyes, looking between the open window and the hallway leading to the front door. Fuck.

“Aren’t you gonna get that?” Felice asked, looking at him expectantly.

“Leo’s gone,” is all Wille said, but it was enough for her to understand.

“Ooooh, so that means it’s your hot neighbour,” she exclaimed excitedly, getting up from where she’d been sitting on the floor. “I can’t believe you still don’t know his name,” she added with a shake of her head.

Wille had told her about their last interaction, about how much of a fool of himself he’d made, and about the fact that he still had no idea what the other was called and just kept referring to him as ‘the neighbour’ in their – numerous – conversations.

“Well, come on, don’t keep him waiting,” she said, looking at him expectantly from where she stood in the doorway of the living room.

“I need to wash this off,” Wille replied, referring to his face mask, as he finally got up and rushed into the kitchen.

“You can’t wash it off, your nails aren’t fully dry yet,” his best friend said, following him into the room.

“Felice, I can’t open the door like this,” he replied, feeling like he was stating the obvious as he gestured to himself. Not only was he wearing old clothes – though his neighbour had already seen him in worse – his face was also bright green with the mask, and he was wearing one of Felice’s fuzzy hairbands to make sure his hair stayed out of his face. “What do you want me to do?”

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“Can you get it for me?” he asked her, even though she was in a state much similar to his. Except she didn’t look ridiculous, he did. “Please,” he added, giving her his best pleading eyes. He wasn’t so different from Leo when he stared at him, hoping to get some of his own food or an extra treat. “He can’t see me like this, Felice,” he said, almost pleading now. He really couldn’t let the other man see him like that. No way.

His best friend let out a sigh, shaking her head at him, again, “fine,” she eventually agreed. “I guess I’ll finally get to see what he looks like that way,” she added, a dangerous smile lighting up her face.

Wille almost regretted asking her and rushed to the door himself, but he couldn’t. There would be no coming back if his neighbour ever saw him like that. He watched as Felice grabbed one of his hoodies from the clothes rack in the hall, putting it on over her pjs tank top and zipping it up, before opening the door just as the person knocked again. Wille stood in the kitchen doorway, hidden from sight, but still able to hear their conversation.

“Hi,” he heard his best friend say. He could hear the smile in her voice.

“Oh,” he heard his neighbour say, clearly having expected Wille to open the door and not Felice. “Hi,” he greeted her after a short pause.

“Did he manage to make his way into your backyard again?” Felice asked when it didn’t seem his neighbour was going to say something else.

“Uh, yeah,” Wille heard the other man answer.

“Come here, buddy,” Felice said then, no doubt taking the dog out of the neighbour's arms. “Sorry about that,” she added, apologizing just like Wille did every time.

“Yeah, no problem,” the man said. His voice somehow sounded different that night, maybe a little distant. Could he have been disappointed not to find Wille behind the door? No, that couldn’t possibly be why. There could have been a million other much more likely reasons for that. It surely had nothing to do with him. “Well, I’ll just go now. Bye.”

“Bye, have a good night,” Felice replied, and Wille heard the door closing. There was the sound of nails on tiles just after that, Leo coming to stand in front of him, looking up expectantly, always excited to see him. He was too adorable for his own good.

Wille crouched down, about to run his hands through his fur, when he remembered the polish still drying on his nails. Leo looked at him, seeming a little confused. But the next second he was walking away, jumping up on the couch and lying down. Wille turned his head to look at Felice; she had the biggest smirk on her face.

“Damn, you didn’t lie when you called him the ‘most beautiful person you’ve ever seen’. How is he even real?” she asked, a question Wille had been asking himself from the first time his eyes had landed on the other. “It seems like he was going out. Such a shame you didn’t open the door yourself, you’d have loved his outfit,” she added, making her way back into the living room.

“What?” Wille asked, standing up to his full height again and following her down the hall. “What was he wearing?”

“You’d know if you’d talked to him yourself,” his best friend answered, sitting down on the couch next to Leo.

“Come on,” Wille said, leaning his elbows on the arm rest next to her, “you have to tell me!”

“Oh, you know, just some nice-fitting trousers and a white shirt, with quite a few buttons undone,” Felice answered. 

And fuck, Wille really wished he’d have seen that. Though he wasn’t sure he would have survived such a sight. He’d have probably stared at him for longer than what was appropriate and made a fool of himself. Again.

🐾🐾🐾

It was just three days later when Leo disappeared again. Wille felt like he should probably start being annoyed by it; his dog was clearly making a game out of this by now. He should have probably looked more closely at the hedge between their houses to actually find out the spot in which his dog could so easily go from one garden to the other. But why would he do any of that when it meant he could see his neighbour again? The only inconvenience was that it was lunch time, and he wasn’t sure if his neighbour was home. After all, most people worked outside of their house and were at work at this time of day. He really hoped the other man would be there, not only because Wille wanted to see him, but also because he didn’t want Leo to be stuck on the other side of the hedge. Who knew, maybe his dog wouldn’t be able to find his way back home, having never crossed the hedge in that direction.

Wille waited a few more minutes to see if his neighbour would show up at his door with his dog. But when nothing happened, he decided to go over to the house next door himself. He made sure there was no stain on his jeans or on his polo shirt, and that his hair looked good enough in the mirror by the stairs, before putting his shoes on and walking out. There was a car parked in front of his neighbour’s house, so hopefully the man was home right now. Wille walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell, putting his hands into his jeans pockets as he waited. It felt like an eternity before the door was unlocked and opened, though it couldn’t have been more than a minute.

But then here he was, the man he could barely get out of his mind, standing in front of him in socks-clad feet, looking so soft and cuddly in a purple hoodie and black sweatpants. His curls were a little wilder than the previous times Wille had seen him, but he looked just as beautiful, if not more.

Oh, how Wille wished he got to see him like that all the time.

“Hi,” Wille greeted him first for once. He felt his cheeks flush as he uttered this one word. Great, he was making a fool of himself already.

“Hi,” the other man replied, smiling at him. God, his smile was so bright, the sun had nothing on him. His neighbour turned around then, saying in a slightly higher pitched voice, “Leo, come here buddy.”

Wille stood there frozen for a second, watching as his dog walked up to the door and stopped in front of him. “How do you know his name?” he asked, knowing very well he’d never told the other about it.

“The dog tag, on his collar,” the other man answered, sounding a little amused by the question. Wille, you idiot.

“Oh, right,” he replied, taking the dog in his arms. “Sorry about him, it seems to be his new favourite game apparently,” Wille apologized, finding it really hard – if not downright impossible – to look away from the man standing in front of him.

“Like I said, it’s no big deal,” the other reassured him once again. “He’s so cute I might end up stealing him and keeping him with me,” he added, letting out a small laugh. Wille just had to laugh with him.

They stood there in silence for a few seconds. Wille really wanted to keep the conversation going, but he had no idea what to say to the other. He sucked at this, making small talk, especially with people as beautiful and at ease as the other man.

“What about you?” his neighbour asked, making Wille tilt his head to the side in confusion – he really was becoming like Leo. “Do you have a name?” he clarified. And oh , did that mean Wille was finally going to learn the other’s name? “You don’t walk around with a collar around your neck with it written on,” the man added, smiling cheekily at Wille.

He felt himself blush even more – his face was probably an alarming shade of red by now. He was silent for too long, the man in front of him giving him a funny look.

“Wille,” he finally said. As if answering a question about his own name was that difficult. “Well, Wilhelm,” he added, “but my family and friends call me Wille.”

“And what should I call you?” his neighbour asked, still grinning at him.

Whatever you want was the answer that came to his mind, but that wasn’t the one he said out loud, thankfully. “Wille’s good.”

“Alright, Wille,” the man said, and Wille loved how his name sounded on his tongue. He wanted to hear it again and again. “It’s nice to finally, officially meet you,” he added, “I’m Simon.”

“Simon,” Wille found himself repeating, trying out the name, mesmerized by the man in front of him.

A beautiful name for a beautiful man.

Suddenly, Simon’s expression changed, his teasing smile turning into one that looked tense, almost forced. Fuck, what had Wille done to lead to such a drastic change in his neighbour? He was pretty sure he hadn’t said any of his thoughts on the other aloud.

“It already happened during the weekend,” his neighbour started saying then. “Your girlfriend was the one to open the door. But she must have told you about it,” Simon added, his lips stretching slightly into a tight-lipped smile. It looked nothing like the other smiles Wille had got to see before.

“My girlfriend?” he repeated, needing a moment to realize who Simon was talking about. But then he remembered Felice being there last weekend, opening the door in her pjs and a jumper of his. It was easy to come to that conclusion for someone who didn’t know them. “Oh no,” he quickly rectified the other, “not my girlfriend. That was my best friend, Felice.”

“Oh,” was all the other man said. Wille didn’t know him well yet, but he looked relieved? Maybe? There was a beautiful slight blush colouring his cheekbones now and a shy smile on his lips. This one looked better, more real.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Wille found himself blurting out, maybe sounding a little desperate in his need to let the other know he was very much single. If Simon was ever interested – as if he’d ever be. He probably already had someone in his life, charming and perfect as he was. “Or a boyfriend,” Wille added, feeling his cheeks heat up even more. He was sure his skin was red up to the top of his ears and down to the base of his neck by now.

“Good to know,” Simon replied, grinning cheekily at him once more. And what was that supposed to mean?

When Leo started squirming in his arms, Wille realized it was probably time to leave Simon alone and go back to his own house.

“I should probably go,” Wille told him, much to his disappointment. It was the first actual conversation they’d managed to have. “I have to eat lunch and walk Leo before getting back to work.”

“Oh, sure,” Simon replied. And maybe Wille was imagining things, but it seemed like the other didn’t want him to go.

“I’ll see you around, Simon,” he said with a smile, taking a few steps back from the door.

“See you around, Wille,” Simon answered, returning his smile. Wille wanted to hear him say his name all the time. It sounded so good coming out of Simon’s mouth.

Wille started walking back to his door. And, this time, he was the one who could feel eyes on him. He focused really hard on not tripping, not wanting to make any more of a fool of himself in front of his neighbour. When he reached his door and turned to look in the direction of the other house, Simon was nowhere to be seen. Had Wille imagined the fact the other was watching him? Somehow, it sounded more likely than it actually happening for real. With a sigh, he opened his front door and stepped back inside, reluctantly going on with the rest of his day.

🐾🐾🐾

A week went by, and then another, without Leo going over to the neighbour’s backyard. When the third week rolled around, Wille felt like he was going crazy. He hadn’t talked to Simon in eighteen full days, not that he was counting – he definitely was. He’d barely even caught sight of his neighbour twice in all that time. The first time had been the weekend following Leo’s last visit next door. Simon had apparently been on his way out when Wille was coming back from his long walk with his dog. His neighbour had smiled and waved at him, before getting into his car and driving away. The second time had been just a little over a week ago when they’d run into each other downtown, only exchanging quick hellos again before going their separate ways.

Wille knew he could have just gone up to the other’s door and pretend he urgently needed some sugar, or flour, like people did in the movies – did that ever even happen in real life? But he was afraid he’d bother Simon. Just because he wanted to see his neighbour didn’t mean the other wanted to see him. And Wille wasn’t sure he could handle the man just handing him what he’d ask for and then closing the door in his face. He doubted Simon would do that, having always been really kind to him. But the voice at the back of his head was his own worst enemy, telling him he was too much and should just leave the other alone.

“Why aren’t you going over there anymore?” Wille found himself asking Leo as the two of them lay on the couch in the middle of spring.

The thing was, he’d found the hole in the hedge Leo had most likely used to go through to Simon’s backyard. He’d been doing some gardening, planting some flowers to bring a bit of colour into his own backyard when he’d finally spotted it. And, of course, he hadn’t done anything to fix it or prevent his dog from using it again. So that was why Leo suddenly deciding he wasn’t going to go next door anymore was so annoying to him. He still could do it, Wille had made sure of that, so why didn’t he?

The dog just looked at him with heavy lidded eyes, before going back to sleep with his head on Wille’s calf.

Well, then. Maybe Wille could try and do all he could to have Leo visiting Simon again so he could see him again as well.

🐾🐾🐾

Over the following days, Wille left the glass door opened for a big part of the day. It was getting warmer and warmer outside as summer approached, so it was nice to enjoy some fresh air. And if it meant more chances for Leo to go under the hedge, well that was just a bonus – not the main goal, not at all. Except it seemed like his dog was truly and clearly over his little game, showing no interest in escaping again.

Of course, Wille had complained about it to Felice and, since then, his best friend kept texting him to tell him to go see Simon or to ask him if he’d talked to the other man. It was almost on a daily basis at this point.

Wille had no idea what led him to do what he was doing now, probably some lack of sleep paired with a heavy dose of desperation.

If Leo wasn’t going to go next door on his own, maybe Wille could force his hand – or paw – a little bit.

He’d been playing with the dog outside for a bit now, throwing his toy and waiting for Leo to bring it back when the idea had hit him. He hadn’t thought twice about it before he was rushing into the kitchen to grab his dog’s favourite treats and walking back out.

That was how he found himself standing next to the hedge in between Simon’s yard and his, right in front of the gap between the branches and leaves, shaking the bag of treats in front of the dog’s nose.

Was that ridiculous? Yes. Was this idea a little insane? Maybe.

But Wille told himself he’d give him a reason to see his neighbour again and swore to himself that he’d try to actually have a proper conversation with the other and maybe ask him out, or at the very least flirt a little bit. He took a treat into his hand, bending forward so that Leo could sniff it, and then he threw it through the hole in the hedge. The dog just stared at him from where he sat at his feet, apparently confused about what was happening.

“Come on, buddy,” Wille encouraged him, throwing a second treat, and then a third one into his neighbour’s backyard. “Go,” he added, and the dog finally moved.

Wille watched him go under the hedge and search for the treats, eating the three of them in short succession. He waited some more after that, not only to make sure Leo would stay over there but also so that it wouldn’t be too suspicious for him to show up at the other’s door so quickly. His dog seemed to be on an exploratory mission through the grass and flowers next door, so Wille stood back up to his full height and started walking towards the glass door. Only then did he feel like there were eyes on him, making him look up to the first-floor windows of Simon’s house. And there he was, the man Wille had been thinking about almost non-stop for days, the man he was on his way to see, standing in front of the window, watching him. And Wille felt his heart drop at that.

He had no idea how long the other had been there, looking at him. But even if Simon hadn’t seen him lure Leo into his garden, he’d surely seen the bag of treats in his hand, and the dog now in his backyard. It wouldn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

Fuck.

Chapter Text

Fuck.

Simon had seen him.

Wille thanked his brain which made him act quickly for once. He instantly looked away from the next-door window and went back inside. As soon as the glass door closed behind him, he let out a groan.

Of course, his neighbour had seen him.

It was Wille we were talking about. He’d never had any luck whatsoever and somehow always managed to make a fool of himself, one way or another. And right here, right now, he was mortified .

What would Simon think about him now?

He might have been the somewhat awkward but at least kind neighbour with the cute pup before. But now he’ll be the weird guy living next door who was forcing them to see each other by using his dog. He’d been looking forward to finally seeing the other man again, but now he never wanted to leave his house again, and he especially didn’t want to run into Simon. For a second, he hoped Leo would find his way back on his own – even though it had never happened in the past – just so that Wille could save himself the embarrassment that the interaction with Simon would no doubt be.

God, Felice was going to make so much fun of him after that. He was never going to live it down.

He stood there, in the middle of his living room, between the couch and the dining table. Five, or maybe ten minutes went by without him doing anything, and of course Leo hadn’t run back into his backyard. Because why would he? When had things ever gone the way Wille wanted them to? Though, in this case, it was his own damn fault for putting himself in such a situation in the first place. Simon hadn’t come to bring the dog back either, which Wille couldn’t say he was surprised about, having witnessed what he had.

It took him another couple of minutes to talk himself into going next door. He didn’t have a choice – if he wanted to get his dog back. And apologise. He definitely had to apologise.

Okay. He could do this.

All he had to do was show up at Simon’s door, apologise for both the disturbance and doing what he did, get his dog back, and then he’d leave Simon alone. Not seeing the other again was the last thing he wanted, but he didn’t really have a choice. He’d just have to live with the humiliation, and deal with his crush on his neighbour from afar. He’d just have to wait until it disappeared, or Simon moved away – Wille wouldn’t blame him.

He took a deep breath in and out, and then he was on the move.

He didn’t bother changing out of the running shorts he’d been wearing since the morning, or putting proper shoes on, keeping the sliders on with his socks. He didn’t even check what his hair looked like in the mirror before he was out the door – what was the point of that now anyway? Even if – and that was a big if – Simon had found him at least a little attractive before, it was all screwed now.

He walked slowly to the other’s door, dreading the moment he’d have to ring the bell and be faced with Simon. Would he be angry? Cold? Would he tell Wille to leave him alone? Wille had no idea what to expect as he pressed the button with shaking hands. It didn’t take long before the door opened and revealed his neighbour standing behind it, looking unfairly attractive in shorts and a tank top.

Wille had never stood a chance. How was he supposed not to have developed a crush on the man? It was literally impossible not to.

There was so much skin visible now, looking all tanned and oh so smooth . It was hard not to stare at Simon’s collarbones, or his shoulders, or the veins popping out on his arms. Wille quickly averted his eyes though; he didn’t need to look even more like a creep to the other. But looking at Simon’s face didn’t make things easier for him. He was all impossibly soft looking curls, warm brown eyes, cute nose – and since when were noses cute? – and plump shiny lips.

And Wille should really not be looking at the man’s lips right now.

“Hi,” Simon spoke first when Wille didn’t say anything.

At least he didn’t seem mad, Wille tried to reassure himself.

“Hi,” Wille replied, finding it harder than ever to get words out. How was he ever supposed to function in front of the other? It’d been a lost cause from day one.

“Is Leo back here again?” his neighbour asked then, a small smirk forming on his lips. Wille didn’t know what to make of that. Was Simon playing dumb, pretending like nothing had happened? Was he going to make Wille say it? Or was he making fun of him right now? Wille couldn’t determine, and it wasn’t helping his embarrassment or anxiety.

“Yes, sorry about that,” he apologised, choosing to simply answer the question. When Simon didn’t say anything more and just looked at him, it seemed to spring Wille into action and the words just started tumbling out of his mouth. “I’m really sorry for disturbing you, and for all the times Leo escaped to your backyard. I’m sure it’s not fun for you, dealing with that and having to bring him back every time,” he started saying, barely marking a pause in between each sentence. 

“Wille –”

“And I’m sorry for today. I saw you upstairs and I know that you saw me. I don’t know what I was thinking, it was just stupid, and I was way over the line,” he continued, unable to stop now that he’d started.

“Wille –”

“I promise it won’t happen again. I’ll put some wire fence in front of the gap or something, and he won’t bother you again, neither will I. Truly, I’m sorry, really, about all of –”

“Wille!” Simon said his name louder, finally making him stop his rambling.

“What?” he asked, fearing Simon had just had enough of him and didn’t care about what he was saying. Maybe he just wanted Wille to grab his dog and leave, and never come back again.

“Can I say something?” Simon asked softly, which was a tone Wille hadn’t expected to hear.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking down at his feet. Well, at least he was wearing matching socks today.

“You apologize a lot,” the other pointed out, sounding a little amused. Was he laughing at him? No, he didn’t think Simon would be the type of person to do that.

“Sor– ” Wille started again but cut himself off when he realised he was going to apologise. Again.

Simon let out a small laugh at that, shaking his head at him a little bit. “Do you want something to drink?” he asked then, making Wille look up so quickly he thought he might get whiplash. When his eyes landed on Simon’s face again, there was a beautiful smile lighting it up.

“I –” and now Wille really didn’t know what to say. Of all the things he’d imagine his neighbour might say, this was definitely not one of them.

“Tea? Coffee? Orange juice? Or I can offer you water if you prefer,” Simon kept going, unperturbed by Wille’s lack of concrete reply. Or of any reply really.

“I –” Wille found himself saying once more. He really was making a fool of himself right now, but he was left too speechless to worry about it.

“Come on in,” Simon said, stepping aside to let him in. By some miracle, Wille’s brain managed to get the order to his feet and let him walk inside. It even made him close the door behind him. “So, what do you prefer?” Simon asked again, walking in the direction of what Wille assumed to be the kitchen – the floorplan of their houses being similar. He blindly followed him.

“Juice is fine,” he somehow – finally – succeeded in forming an actual answer, although sounding a little breathless.

He stood in the doorway, watching as Simon opened the fridge to take out a bottle of orange juice and grabbed two glasses, pouring the liquid into them. The room, as well as the fitted cabinets looked quite similar to Wille’s own kitchen, although where his was all cold tones, Simon’s was all warm ones.

“Here,” Simon said, handing him one of the glasses.

“Thanks,” Wille replied, taking it from his hand, being careful not to touch Simon’s fingers with his own.

“Come on, we can sit outside, the weather is really nice today,” his neighbour said, walking past him and further into the house. He stepped out through the open bay window and Wille just followed him, more or less on autopilot, still unable to really comprehend what was happening here. He barely paid any attention to the frames on the walls, or the really comfortable looking couch with the mismatched decorative pillows, focusing instead on not tripping on his way out.

As soon as Simon stepped foot outside, Leo came running towards him to say hello. His neighbour placed his glass on a small table to the side and crouched down to pet the dog.

“Hi buddy,” the other said, running his hand over Leo’s back as the dog’s tail swayed in excitement. “I hadn’t seen you in a while,” he added, moving his head away with a laugh when Leo tried to lick his face.

Could Simon have missed Leo’s visits?

Wille stood awkwardly on the side, watching the scene play out. He loved seeing Simon with his dog like that, the two of them clearly enjoying the other’s presence. Leo loved people in general, since it usually meant lots of attention and cuddles for him, maybe even a friend to play with. But there was something extra special about seeing the dog interact with Simon.

If only Wille hadn’t ruined everything today.

But had he actually ruined everything? If Simon had been annoyed by his scheming, surely he wouldn’t have invited him in or offered him a drink now, would he? It wouldn’t make much sense. Unless this was an opportunity for them to have a serious conversation about boundaries and basic neighbouring rules. Though Wille really doubted that.

“You can sit down, you know,” Simon snapped him out of his thoughts. His neighbour was looking up at him with that same amused smile as earlier, nodding his head in the direction of one of the chairs around the table.

“Thanks,” Wille replied, taking a seat.

He was shortly joined by Simon who sat across from him, followed closely by Leo who jumped on his lap the second the other sat down. Wille was about to apologise about it – again – or to tell the dog to get down, but Simon didn’t seem to mind, resuming his strokes through Leo’s fur as he took a sip from his drink with his free hand.

“Soooo,” Simon said after a moment of silence, looking at Wille expectantly. His eyes looked even brighter in the sun; it seemed like he was glowing in the warm light of the day.

“So?” Wille asked, unsure what the other wanted him to say exactly.

“Have you been doing that from the start?” Simon asked, pointing with his glass in the general direction of the gap in the hedge.

Oh right, they still needed to address that.

“No!” Wille quickly denied, not wanting Simon to think it was some elaborate plan to get to meet him and have them talk. “I had no idea who lived next door to my house before you brought Leo home that first time,” he explained, mentally congratulating himself for managing to form a proper, full-on sentence. It didn’t stop his cheeks from heating up though, but maybe he could blame it on the sun.

“Only since the second time then?” Simon said then, and Wille could tell from his tone he was teasing him a little.

“No, only today,” he replied, feeling the blush on his cheeks deepen at the admission, and the memory of having been caught. “This is so embarrassing,” he mumbled then, running a hand through his hair, only for it to fall right back into his face.

“It’s not,” Simon tried to reassure him, but failed.

“It is,” he insisted, getting a hold of his glass only to have something to do with his hands.

“Okay, maybe a little bit,” Simon finally admitted, tone light, and smiling brightly at him again. “But it’s also cute,” he added, “you’re cute.”

As if that statement didn’t change the trajectory of Wille’s world. As if it didn’t make his heart speed up and his chest flutter. As if his cheeks could get any redder than they already were.

Had Simon really just said he was cute? As if Wille hadn’t wished to hear that said about himself since the first time his neighbour had called his dog cute.

“I just wanted an excuse to talk to you again,” Wille found himself saying in a much lower, softer tone. He might as well just admit it now that they were here. 

“You know, you could have just rung the doorbell and said ‘hi’, like a normal person,” Simon teased, and Wille was so glad for it. 

The way Simon was taking it was making the situation so much easier for him. He was still embarrassed at having been caught doing such a silly thing, but he didn’t feel like he wanted to hide or like he was going to die from it. It was nice. Simon really was too kind to him.

“You didn’t need to use your dog as an excuse to come over,” the other added when Wille didn’t say anything.

“I didn’t know if you’d want to see me,” Wille quietly admitted, not daring to look up at Simon as he said the words.

“I do,” Simon replied, “but only if you bring Leo with you,” he added, getting a laugh out of Wille.

God, he was perfect.

“Deal,” Wille replied, smiling shyly at the other.

He could hardly believe what had just happened. Not only had Simon not been mad or even bothered by his stupid attempt, but he also wanted to see Wille again, even after what he’d just done.

As he sat there looking at Simon over the rim of his glass, he thought that maybe encouraging Leo to go next door and getting caught doing so hadn’t been so bad in the end. Sure, simply walking up to Simon’s door and talking to him would have still been a better option – and it would have saved him the embarrassment – but it had worked out pretty well, all things considered.

“So, how long have you been living here?” Simon asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“I moved in mid-March,” Wille replied. It was hard to believe it had already been three months since he’d moved here, and two since he first saw Simon, not knowing they were next-door neighbours back then. But had they already been? “What about you?” he figured he’d just ask.

“Since last summer,” Simon answered, leaning back in his chair but being careful not to disturb Leo who’d fallen asleep on his lap. Wille really liked the sight of the two of them together.

“Do you like it here then?”

“It’s nice,” Simon said, “and close enough to Stockholm if I ever get bored here and decide to move back there,” he added with a small laugh. “Though life is much more affordable here.”

“Yeah,” Wille confirmed, not sure what more to say. He didn’t want the conversation to come to an end, but he’d never been great at coming up with new topics when speaking to someone he didn’t know well.

“I couldn’t help but notice you seem to be home often,” Simon said after a short moment of silence, his voice going up at the end of the sentence, making it sound like a question.

“Yeah, I work from home,” Wille confirmed Simon's observation. 

“Oh, what do you do?”

“I’m a writer,” Wille replied, drinking the rest of his orange juice. “It’s mostly online content, descriptions and blurbs for websites and such.”

“And do you like it?” Simon asked, seeming genuinely interested in Wille's job. 

“It’s okay,” he replied with a small shrug. “I’d love to focus more on my personal writing and get it out there, but that doesn’t really pay the bills,” he explained with a chuckle.

He’d always loved reading and writing, from a young age, and had spent more and more time practising and trying things out through the years. He’d written a few short stories while he was at uni and was now trying to work on something longer, but no one had ever read any of his personal writings. He wasn’t even sure why he’d brought it up with Simon. It seemed like the other just had a way of making him feel comfortable, at ease.

“Oh, you write your own things too? That’s cool,” Simon replied with a smile. Wille was happy that he didn’t ask more questions about it though – Simon might have noticed it wasn’t something he wanted to talk in depth about. At least not when they didn't know each other that well yet. 

“What about you?” he wondered, finding it hard to take a guess on what Simon was working in. He could be a model , was the only thing Wille thought whenever his eyes landed on his neighbour. 

“I teach music,” Simon explained, “some guitar, piano, as well as singing lessons.”

But now that he knew, Wille could totally picture it: Simon sitting at a piano, singing some song he loved – or maybe even something he’d created? Wille didn’t think he’d survive if he ever got the chance to witness that. Simon had to be a musician. As if he wasn’t already so gone for the other. 

“I sing in a bar some weekends as well,” Simon added.

“I’m sure you’re amazing,” Wille let out, unable to hold the compliment back. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about it. Simon’s speaking voice already sounded like music to his ears, so he was sure his singing voice could only be good.

“Well, maybe you should come and check it for yourself one of these days,” Simon replied, his lips pulling up into a smirk.

“Maybe I should,” Wille agreed, smiling back at the other.

🐾🐾🐾

When Wille told Felice about his little chat with Simon, he very purposely let out the part where he threw treats to lure his dog next door and got caught by his neighbour. He’d felt very much like a teenager talking about a crush again, unable to hold back a smile or a blush. Felice had been so happy for him, telling him she’d been right to encourage him to just knock on the other’s door – which wasn’t what he’d done, but it was what he’d told her. After all, she didn’t need to know every single little detail. What mattered was that he’d got to talk with Simon more, and that they’d started to really get to know each other. She didn’t need to know more than that, she already had enough ammunition to tease him as it was.

He didn’t tell Erik about any of it either – he actually hadn’t even told him about Simon at all yet. But that was about to change when his brother came to visit him the following weekend.

🐾🐾🐾

Erik had showed up at his door at the end of Saturday morning, with Juni at his feet. Wille had barely opened the door that Erik’s dog had rushed inside, meeting Leo halfway down the hall and going absolutely crazy. Once the two dogs had calmed down a bit, the brothers had headed out for lunch downtown, enjoying the sunny weather at a table outside. They’d made it back to Wille’s a little later and had decided to take the pups on a long walk to tire the both of them out.

“I don’t know how people can handle having two dogs in the same house,” Wille commented as he locked the front door again. They’d just spent over five minutes trying to get the leashes attached to their respective dog’s collar, the dogs who just wanted to chase each other around the house, apparently.

“Well, they wouldn’t be that excited if they were used to living together,” Erik pointed out, always having to sound so reasonable. “And they’re still young, they’ll grow out of it.”  

“Alright,” Wille replied with an exaggerated eyeroll at his brother. “Let’s go.”

They barely made it to the sidewalk when Leo started pulling on his leash in the direction of Simon’s house.

“Oh my god, there are two of them,” he heard a voice – Simon’s voice – say.

And sure enough, when he looked to his left, there he was, standing next to his car, looking at the two beagles. Wille forgot about anything else for a moment, needing a second to take Simon in with his white sneakers, light denim jeans, white and yellow striped button down, the sunglasses on his nose, and – as always – those beautiful curls. They were getting longer, the curls falling more over his forehead than they had when Wille had first laid eyes on him weeks ago. He loved the sight, wanted to reach out and touch them, see if they were as soft as they looked.

Fuck, he was beautiful.

He watched as Simon took the few steps separating them. Leo met him halfway, standing up on his back legs with his two front paws resting on Simon’s thigh. His neighbour scratched Leo between the ears, looking down at the dog with a smile. Wille couldn’t hold back a smile of his own. And the next thing he knew, Erik was clearing his throat from where he stood next to him – it seemed like his brother couldn’t hold that back either.

Wille reluctantly looked away from Simon and Leo to glare at his brother. But the noise had caught Simon’s attention too, his eyes landing on Erik too.

“And there are two of you,” was what his neighbour said with a small laugh.

Whenever people saw Wille and Erik, they loved to point out how much they looked alike, but Wille didn’t really see it. They used to look almost identical when they were toddlers, from the many pictures their parents had of them, but he thought they looked quite different today. But apparently, hardly anyone thought so.

“Well, aren’t you going to introduce us, Wille?” Erik asked, in a tone he knew too well. He was going to kill his brother later.

“Right,” Wille replied, throwing him one last look before he turned his attention back to the other man. “Erik, this is Simon, my neighbour,” he introduced them, “Simon, this is Erik, my brother.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Simon commented with a teasing smile, which turned more neutral when he looked at Erik, “nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Erik replied, the tilt in his voice letting Wille know his brother had seen the way he looked at Simon and was just waiting for them to be alone again to tease him relentlessly about it.

“And this is Juni, Leo’s sister,” Wille said just as the second dog walked closer to Simon, clearly jealous of the love and attention Leo was getting and wanting some of it for herself too.

“They’re adorable,” Simon said, happily crouching down to pet both dogs. “I have to manage to steal two of them now,” he added, sending a teasing smile Wille's way.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” Erik replied in a friendly tone, “my girlfriend would never forgive me if I let that happen.”

“Fair enough,” Simon replied with a small laugh. Oh, how much Wille loved that sound. “Guess I’ll just have to kidnap my friend Leo then,” he added, and Wille could pretty much see the twinkling in his eyes despite the sunglasses covering them.

The moment was interrupted by Simon’s phone ringing as he stood back up to his full height to check it.

“Right, I should really get going,” he told them, and Wille could almost detect some disappointment in his tone. “I’m already running late, and I think my friend will have my head if I don’t leave now.”

“Have fun then,” Wille told him with a smile, which Simon instantly returned.

“I’ll see you later, Wille,” he said to him, and it almost sounded like a promise, like he wanted to see him later. “It was nice to meet you,” Simon added, looking at Erik.

“You too,” his brother replied with a smile.

And then Simon was getting into his car, and they were walking away with the two dogs ahead of them.

Erik had at least the decency to wait for them to be down the street, making their way outside of the neighbourhood to get started on his teasing.

“Soooo,” Erik let out, already enjoying this way too much. “Simon, uh?”

“What about him?” Wille asked, trying to play it nonchalantly, even though he knew it was pointless already.

“Oh, come on!” Erik exclaimed, playfully elbowing him in the ribs. In those moments, it didn’t seem like his brother was thirty, like they were full grown-ups, they felt like kids again. “You like him,” Erik said, not beating around the bush.

“Maybe,” Wille replied with a little shrug.

“Don’t give me that ‘maybe’ bullshit,” his brother said with a laugh, “you went all red when you saw him.”

“I did not!” Wille answered, though he was pretty sure he’d blushed at the sight of Simon, it wouldn’t be the first time, nor the last. His response only made Erik full-on cackle at his stupid attempts.

“Come on,” Erik encouraged him, nudging him in the ribs again. “I can’t believe you haven’t told me about him.”

“There’s nothing to say really,” Wille replied with a shrug. It was only half a lie – he’d had a lot to say about Simon to Felice, but also it wasn’t like anything was actually going on between him and his neighbour.

“Leo seems to like him,” Erik pointed out, his voice turning less teasing and more serious. “And it seems Simon is quite fond of him too.”

“Yeah,” Wille confirmed, unable to hold back a smile. He thought about turning away from Erik to hide it, but his brother would somehow know about it either way, so he didn’t bother. “We actually started talking because Leo disappeared one day. He’d managed to go through the hedge and into Simon’s backyard. He’s done that a few more times since.”

“Oh, I see,” Erik replied, “he’s making a game out of it now.”

“Pretty much, yes,” Wille confirmed. “But Simon’s been really nice about it,” he added, “he’s just really nice.”

“And cute,” his brother quickly pointed out.

“Erik!” Wille exclaimed, looking at the other with wide eyes.

“What?” Erik asked, letting out a laugh. “Even I can tell. He’s easy on the eyes,” he added. “And I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

“Ughhh, stop it!” Wille told him, shoving his brother away with the hand that wasn’t holding Leo’s leash.

“What? It’s okay,” Erik replied, seeming totally unbothered by the growing blush on Wille’s cheeks. “I’m pretty sure he likes you too.”

“He doesn’t,” Wille quickly refuted that. His brother had no way of knowing that, especially not after having only spent two minutes around Simon.

“I think he does,” Erik insisted though, turning more serious again. “You should ask him out.” And it sounded so simple when he said it like that.

“I don’t know,” Wille replied, looking up at the two dogs walking ahead of them. He’d considered it, although briefly, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to say those words, or that he’d even manage to get them out. Not that Simon would say yes anyway.

“Just think about it,” Erik said gently, before talking about something else. Wille was really glad for that.

🐾🐾🐾

🐾🐾🐾

The next time he saw Simon was only four days after Erik’s visit. Once his work day had come to an end, Wille had taken Leo out on a walk. It was really getting warmer, so it was nice to be out in the sun, if only for a bit. Once they’d made it back home, Wille had sat down on the couch, in front of TV. And that was where he still was now, although he was trying to talk himself into getting up and fixing something for dinner. To say he wasn’t motivated would have been an understatement. Maybe he should just order some food and have it delivered, that would surely make things easier.

He was just grabbing his phone to search for something to eat when his doorbell rang. That noise had become synonymous with Simon bringing Leo back. Except the dog had been sleeping peacefully next to Wille until he’d heard the sound, letting out a bark and running up to the door. Wille really had no idea who or what it could be. And he was even more confused when he opened the door and actually saw his neighbour standing there.

Leo was right here, so what did Simon want?

“Hi,” Wille said, being the first one to speak for once. He did a poor job at hiding his surprise with the way his voice tilted up on the word.

“Hi,” Simon replied with a smile, although he seemed to be the embarrassed one for once. That picked Wille’s curiosity even more.

They were interrupted by Leo slipping in between his legs and going up to Simon, happily swaying his tail as the man crouched down and stroked his head. Simon seemed to forget about why he was here for a second, too busy petting the dog and smiling at his enthusiasm. As much as Wille loved the sight, he really wanted to know what had brought his neighbour to his door.

“Is everything okay?” Wille asked then, thinking that maybe something was wrong with the other and he needed help for something – Wille wasn’t sure he was the right person to ask for that though.

“Yeah,” Simon looked up at him and confirmed with a nod, which made the curls on his forehead bounce a little at the movement. He was so pretty. “I was just wondering –” he started but seemed to hesitate. “Have you had dinner yet?” he asked instead.

“No,” Wille answered. He was even more confused now.

“And are you by any chance hungry?” was Simon’s next question.

Was he–? Could he–? No, there was no way he was trying to ask Wille out. He just couldn’t be.

“Uh, yeah,” Wille replied, although it sounded more like a question.

“My best friends were supposed to come over for dinner, but the car broke down, so they had to cancel at the last minute,” Simon explained, standing back up despite Leo’s obvious disappointment. “And I’ve got enough food for like six people and it’d be a shame for it to go to waste. Truth be told, I don’t really want to be eating the same thing for the next five days,” he continued, letting out a small laugh. “So, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come over and eat some of it?” he asked, the furrow between his brows making it look like he was carefully choosing his words.

“Oh,” Wille said dumbly. The only reason why Simon was here and offering him food was because his friends had let him down, not because he wanted to have dinner with Wille in the first place. He tried not to feel too disappointed about that. After all, he’d just told himself there was no way Simon would be asking him out, so why was he so surprised when it turned out he really wasn’t? And didn’t it turn out in his favour since he hadn’t been feeling like cooking for himself. It also meant spending time with Simon, potentially longer than they’d ever had in the past, which was a really nice prospect.

“You don’t have to if–” Simon started saying, having taken his lack of an actual reply for a refusal – which it wasn’t.

“No, I’d like that,” Wille interrupted him, trying his best to give the other a reassuring smile in the process.

“Oh,” Simon said, “okay,” he added, “good.” Wille just nodded at that, unsure what else to say. It seemed like Leo was excited at the idea – even though there was no way he’d understood what was going on – because he let out a small bark, standing between the two of them and looking up with wide open eyes. “Yes, you’re invited too,” Simon said, giving him some more cuddles. “Shall we, then?” he asked, looking up at Wille expectantly.

“Lead the way,” Wille replied with a smile.

Wille didn’t bother putting actual shoes on, opting to wear his sliders instead – it was hardly the first time Simon had seen him wearing those. He just made sure he had his phone in his pocket before he grabbed his keys and locked the door behind him. Simon was just a few feet away, keeping an eye on Leo who was busy sniffing and inspecting the flowerbeds in front of the house. It only took a couple of steps to catch up to them, and a few more to reach Simon’s door. The other walked into the house first, kicking his sneakers off by the door. Wille left his shoes next to his, closing the door behind him and watching as Simon walked into the kitchen, closely followed by Leo who seemed to feel right at home in the other’s house.

Wille didn’t feel any specific way at the sight of it. Not at all.

He only noticed the smell of the food when he stepped into the kitchen. He wasn’t able to determine what it was exactly, probably a mix of various ingredients and spices, but it smelled so good. If he had been hungry before, he was now starving. He had no idea what Simon had prepared, but there were a few pots on the stove as well as something cooking in the oven. It seemed like a feast. Wille enjoyed cooking every once in a while, but it seemed like Simon really loved it.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Simon asked once he’d checked nothing was burning and everything was cooking as it should. He walked over to the fridge and opened it. “I have some beer, lemonade, Coke,” he said, looking through the options. “And well, water.”

“Beer is good,” Wille replied with a smile. He watched as Simon grabbed his drink as well as a can of soda for himself, handing him his beer. “Thanks.”

Simon smiled at him. “I started setting the table on the coffee table, is that okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Wille answered. He hadn’t thought he would have found himself here tonight, so anything was fine with him.

“Hopefully Leo won’t steal our food,” the other added with a laugh, looking down at the dog who was sitting in front of the counter, clearly hoping for some food or another to fall to the floor.

“No, he knows he’s not supposed to do that,” Wille reassured him, “well normally,” he added, making Simon laugh once more.

Wille helped him finish setting the table, and filled two glasses with water as Simon brought the food to the living room. It smelled even more amazing now that everything was cooked and laid out in front of him. He had no idea what the dish actually was, but it looked really good either way.

“Have you ever had arepas?” Simon asked him, either out of curiosity or because he’d noticed the questioning look on Wille’s face – he wasn’t sure. His neighbour sat down on the floor on one side of the table, so Wille did the same on another. Leo was in between them, head lifted up to smell the food, though he didn’t try to reach for any.

“I can’t say that I have,” Wille replied a little sheepishly, “I don’t even know what it is in all honesty.”

“That’s okay,” Simon replied with a smile. “It’s from Venezuela. My mama’s side of the family is from there. She used to make them often when my best friends came over, so it’s become a bit of a tradition now whenever I invite them for dinner.”

“That’s nice,” Wille commented, returning the other’s smile. “You’ve been friends for a while then?”

“Since forever, pretty much,” Simon replied, “we met in primary school, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”

Wille could only imagine how nice it must have been. While he’d met Felice when they were little kids, they hadn’t really talked until they ended up together at Hillerska. He didn’t really have childhood friends; his brother had been the closest thing he’d had to a best friend for many years.

“But anyways. Arepas,” Simon brought them back on track.

He explained everything to Wille, from what they were, to how they were made, and when people would eat them – pretty much at every meal. Simon had also prepared various fillings with different meats, vegetables as well as cheese. It all sounded and looked yummy, and Wille couldn’t wait to try it. He observed as Simon grabbed one of the arepas and filled it with different things, learning how to build his own as well as eat it.

It was a little messy to eat them, especially with their fingers, and Wille was extra careful to really lean over the table when he took bites, not wanting food to fall down and stain Simon’s rug. But it was so worth it. Wille always loved to try out new things and the food was really good – it seemed like Simon was an excellent cook. And though it was a little spicy, it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle – which he was thankful for; he didn’t need to embarrass himself even more in front of Simon.

He didn’t talk much as they ate, happy to listen to the other talking about other typical Venezuelan foods he’d grown up eating and learning how to make, with Wille sitting there smiling, wishing he’d get to taste all of those other dishes prepared by Simon.

“Sorry,  I’m totally monopolising the conversation,” Simon apologised just as Wille drank the last of his beer.

“No, it’s okay,” he quickly reassured the other, wiping the corners of his mouth with a paper towel. “I don’t mind,” he added with a smile. “You seem really close to your mama,” Wille pointed out, having noticed how much Simon had mentioned her as he explained everything to him.

“Yeah,” Simon confirmed with a soft smile. “Her and my sister, Sara.”

“That’s nice,” Wille replied with a smile of his own. He’d never been close to his mother, but he knew how it was to love a sibling more than words could ever express.

“Can I get you another?” Simon asked then, pointing to Wille’s now finished beer.

“No, I’m good, thanks,” he replied. “The food was really, really good,” he said then, needing Simon to know even though he was pretty sure the other had already guessed with how appreciative Wille had sounded as he'd tried everything.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Simon smiled gratefully at him, leaning back against the couch.

Leo had got a few pieces of meat and bread as they’d eaten, Simon checking it was okay with Wille before giving him anything. The dog was now lying on the sofa next to Simon’s head, sleeping peacefully. Wille wished he could take a picture of this moment, with his dog comfortably settled on the couch and Simon sitting on the floor, looking extra pretty in the still early evening light. Wille tried hard not to stare too much at the other, but it was hard when he looked like that , like he had come straight out of one of Wille’s dreams. 

“How do you feel about ice cream for dessert?” Simon asked after a beat of silence, getting up to his feet. Leo didn’t even open his eyes.

“Sounds good,” Wille confirmed, standing up as well, just as the other started to grab some of the dishes to clear the table. “I’ll help,” he added when Simon tried to protest. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Okay,” Simon agreed, “thanks.”

Once they’d brought all the pans and dishes into the kitchen, Simon prepared two bowls of ice cream for them, which they took back to the living room to eat on the couch. Neither of them wanted to bother Leo, so they sat on either side of him.

“Do you wanna watch something?” Simon asked as he grabbed the remote from the coffee table.

“I don’t mind,” Wille replied with a small shrug, offering him a smile.

He watched as Simon turned the TV on and selected a movie. They settled into silence as they ate their ice cream, but Wille didn’t mind. He didn’t pay much attention to what was happening on screen though, happy to be sitting there with the other, after having dinner together. While he knew he hadn’t been Simon’s original choice of a guest for tonight, it was still really nice of his neighbour to have invited him over when his friends hadn’t been able to come. Wille was pretty sure Simon could have put most of the food into the freezer to save for another time, so at least a part of him had wanted to have Wille over. It didn’t mean that the other was interested in him like Wille was. But at least he enjoyed his company and wanted them to get to know each other better, which was already a great thing for Wille. If Simon could ever only be a friend to him, it was already much more than he’d thought he’d get when he’d first moved here. 

He just needed to get his crush under control, it should be easy enough, right?

Wille leaning down to place his now empty bowl on the coffee table seemed to wake up Leo who stirred between them. As he settled back against the cushion, he watched as the dog got up, spun around once on the seat, and then lay back down, only this time he was nestled against Simon’s thigh. The action made Simon smile as he looked down at the dog and ran a hand through his fur – Leo happily let him as he closed his eyes again.

“I don’t know how to take it,” Wille commented, earning himself a raised eyebrow from his neighbour. “The way he always goes to you when you’re around,” he clarified, remembering how it wasn’t the first time Leo had chosen to get cuddles from Simon instead of Wille. “It’s like I don’t even exist anymore,” he added, pouting exaggeratedly to show that he wasn’t really serious about it.

Simon laughed at his comment. Wille still loved that sound just as much as the first time he’d heard it. He loved it even more when it was him who managed to get such a beautiful sound out of Simon.

“I won’t even have to steal him from you, he’ll just come by himself and stay with me,” Simon replied with a grin. “Maybe that’s what he’s been trying to do all along by escaping to my backyard.”

“Wow, I think you might be right,” Wille said, holding a hand up to his chest, placing it over his heart. It only made Simon laugh once again, and Wille just had to join in, feeling so light and happy in that very moment.

They hung out a bit longer, sitting in front of TV, until Wille decided he should probably go home. It was still a weekday after all, so both of them had work in the morning. He had to take Leo on their night walk as well before calling it a day.

“Thank you again for dinner, it was really good,” Wille thanked Simon once more as they stood in the hallway, saying goodbye.

“No problem,” Simon replied with a smile. “I had a lovely time.”

“Me too,” Wille returned his smile, feeling the butterflies in his stomach at the fact that Simon had enjoyed their evening together. Maybe that crush would be harder to get over than he’d hoped.

Wille was about to say goodnight and reach for the door handle, when Simon stopped him.

“Wait,” he said, before disappearing into the kitchen. Wille only had to wait a few seconds before Simon joined him again, holding a purple piece of paper in his hand. “Here,” he said, giving it to Wille.

Wille took it from him, only then noticing it was a sticky note with a phone number on it. Simon’s phone number.

“In case Leo ever escapes when I’m not home,” he explained, suddenly looking a little shy. “Or if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” was all Wille replied. Because what else was he supposed to say? 

On the one hand, he was feeling a little giddy because Simon had just given him his number. But on the other hand, his neighbour had just done that in case of an emergency or something, not because he wanted them to text or anything. He carefully put the piece of paper in his back pocket either way, not wanting to lose it. Just in case. 

“Goodnight, Simon,” he said after a moment of silence where they both stood there, looking at each other. 

He briefly considered closing the space between them to give Simon a quick hug, but he wasn’t sure they were there just yet – or that Simon would even want to hug him. He wasn't sure he'd survive getting to hug the other anyway. They hadn't really touched each other, apart from fingers accidentally brushing when Simon had handed Leo over a few weeks ago. He'd only gotten a small glimpse of what Simon smelled like – a mix of citrus fruit and lavender – and Wille was afraid he'd get lost in it if he got a proper sniff of it. His heart would probably burst out of his chest if Simon wrapped his arms around him and held him close, feeling his body heat against his own, even if only for a brief moment. Would he feel Simon's breath on his neck? Would his skin brush against Wille's? Would it be as soft as it looks? 

Fuck. He really wanted to hug Simon now. 

“Goodnight Wille,” his neighbour replied with a smile, bringing him out of his thoughts. He was grateful when Simon bent down to look at Leo, being able to somewhat hide the blossoming blush on his cheeks. “Goodnight, buddy,” Simon added, giving the dog one last scratch between the ears before Wille and him were out the door.

🐾🐾🐾

🐾🐾🐾

“So, he invited you over for dinner?” Maddie asked once Wille had recounted the events of the previous week to her and Felice. 

They were hanging out at one of their favourite bars in the city, one where they had spent many nights while they were at university, and which they still loved to go to every once in a while. It had never really been a popular choice amongst students, so it was never too crowded, which Wille really appreciated. It also made it easier for them to talk and catch up, without needing to yell over other people’s voices or the too loud music. They’d been there for less than thirty minutes when the topic of Simon came up, brought up by Felice after Wille had failed to give her all the details of his and Simon’s dinner from the other day. 

“Well technically it was because his friends couldn’t c–” he started to correct her, but she interrupted him, in true Maddie fashion. She never had time for his excuses or justifications – which Wille equally loved and hated about her. 

“And you spent hours together just eating and chatting?” she asked then. Why did she feel the need to retell the events he’d just told them about? He wasn’t sure.

“Yes,” he confirmed anyway. 

“And he told you he had a lovely time and gave you his number?” she continued, and Wille was convinced she didn't actually need nor expect him to confirm what she was saying. She already knew.

“Yes,” he still replied, not knowing where his friend was going with this. Maybe he didn’t want to know. 

“But you haven’t texted him yet?” she asked, sounding both disbelieving and exasperated. 

“No?” he replied, though it came out as a question. What was so wrong about that? He couldn't help but wonder. But his friends didn’t seem happy about it, if the way Maddie gave him a small slap behind the head was any indication. “Ow!”

“You’re an idiot,” was what his friend said instead of apologising for hitting him. Not that it had actually hurt, but still.

“Why?” he asked exasperatedly. He hadn’t had any reason to text Simon so far. Leo hadn’t run away next door in the nine days since he’d last seen Simon – had it really been nine days already? – nor had he needed anything. “Felice, help me out here,” he pleaded to his other friend, sitting across from him at the table.

“I’m sorry but I agree with Mads,” is what she answered, without looking the least apologetic. “He wants you to text him. He only gave you those reasons so that he wouldn’t come off too strong or scare you away in case he’d read the situation wrong.”

“I don’t think that’s what happened,” Wille denied, because he couldn’t imagine Simon not being up-front about it if that was what he’d wanted. He’d had no issue teasing or gently making fun of Wille, almost always seeming at ease and confident. But that was the thing, almost – could he have meant something more when giving Wille his number?  

“No wonder you’re single,” Maddie mumbled, downing the rest of her drink.

“Wille, you have to text him,” Felice spoke next, seeming just as sure of herself as Maddie was.

“And to say what?” he asked, “It’s been over a week now, I can’t just say ‘hi’ or thank him again for dinner without sounding like an idiot.” he felt like he was, once more, stating the obvious.

“My point exactly,” Maddie mumbled again, earning herself an elbow in the ribs from Wille.

“You could invite him over for dinner,” Felice suggested. 

And that sounded way too much like an invitation for a date; Wille didn’t want to freak his neighbour out. Even though, a date was exactly what he wanted.

“Or you could ask in which bar he sings on the weekends, so you can go and hear him sing” Maddie offered, which was a little better but still not the best idea. He wasn’t sure he’d survive hearing Simon sing, and it would only make his crush worse – if that was even possible. He definitely did not need that.

“But I wouldn’t get to talk to him then. I don’t want to bother him while he works or something,” Wille replied, or rather tried to find some kind of excuse. Though it was still partly true; the last thing he wanted was to be an annoyance to Simon.  

“Then do what Felice said,” Maddie replied, as if that was the simplest thing in the world.

“But what if it sounds like a date?” he asked them, earning himself looks from both his friends. 

“You mean exactly what you want it to be?” Maddie said, sassiness dripping from her words. She paired it with an eye roll at the end of her sentence, as if her tone hadn’t been enough. 

“Doesn’t mean he wants that too,” Wille mumbled. They made it sound so simple when it felt anything but to him. 

“Didn’t you say he liked guys?” Maddie asked, her voice sounding a little softer, which he was grateful for.

“Yeah,” Wille confirmed with a nod. During their dinner last week, Simon had offhandedly mentioned a past boyfriend, which had made Wille’s heart skip a beat. But Simon being into men didn’t mean he would be into Wille.

“Well then at least he won’t be offended or anything, if he doesn’t feel the same about you,” she said. “He’ll let you down gently, and you’ll be able to move on from that crush of yours and be just friends with him.” It probably didn’t sound as reassuring as she’d hoped it would.

“But he’s not going to say no,” Felice added once Maddie was done, getting a nod from her in agreement.

“Ugh,” Wille let out in frustration. He felt like his brain hurt from thinking way too much about this for the past week. “Can we just talk about something else?” he asked, almost pleading. Maddie was about to protest but he didn’t give her the chance, “please.”

His friends seemed to hesitate for a second, but eventually agreed, moving on to talk about Maddie’s job and her new colleague who’d started just a few days before. Wille let himself be distracted by the different topics of discussion, quieting the million questions in his brain for at least a moment.

He’d almost forgotten about their earlier conversation as he finished his second drink of the night, which was why he didn’t think twice when he left his phone on the table as he got up to get a refill, taking the girls’ order in the process. There was a bit of a queue at the bar, so it took him a few minutes before he walked back to their table with their new drinks. As he sat down, he saw that Maddie was smirking and Felice had an odd look on her face, a look he knew too well and which didn’t augur anything good.

“What have you done?” he asked, looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing,” Maddie answered way too quickly, reaching for her new glass. “Thanks.”

He looked over at Felice again, but she just gave him her best imitation of innocence before taking a sip from her drink. He kept staring at them for a few more seconds before letting out a sigh. Whatever it was they’d done, he wouldn’t get anything out of them. He’d just have to wait and find out on his own.

As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait for long.

It was barely five minutes later when his phone buzzed on the table. He reached out to grab it, his eyes opening wide as he flipped it open and saw the notification on his screen.

“Why is Simon texting me?” 

Chapter Text

“Why is Simon texting me?”

Wille looked up to see both of his friends with some variation of a smirk, not even bothering to appear somewhat guilty or sorry. He was pretty sure his eyes were comically wide at the surprise, which only made Maddie laugh. He didn’t pay them much more attention though, instead he looked back down at the phone in his hand. His heart was beating so fast as he opened the conversation that he apparently now had with Simon, displaying the two new messages. He checked what the girls had sent before re-reading Simon’s reply.

Wille

Hi Simon, it’s Wille. How are you?

I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go on a walk with Leo and me tomorrow afternoon?

Simon

Wille, hi! I’m good, glad it’s finally the weekend. How are you?

I’d love to tag along, just say the time 😊

His hands were shaking, and his heart was racing even more as he read those words, feeling very much like a teenager again. Simon wanted to see him. He would love to join them tomorrow. He’d even used a little smiley face. 

This was too much for Wille to handle at once – he wasn’t drunk enough for this, or maybe he wasn’t sober enough for this. Fuck, he needed to get his shit together. But Simon wanted to see him. It didn’t have to mean anything more; it could still be friendly. But still, Simon actually wanted to hang out with him.

“So, what did he say?” Felice broke him out of his trance, eager to know what his neighbour had answered to his texts – well technically the texts his friends had sent pretending to be him.

“Yeah, don’t keep us waiting like that,” Maddie said, looking at him expectantly.

“Well, wouldn’t you like to know,” Wille replied, sending them a look. He wasn’t mad at them for sending the texts, since it had turned out in his favour. And it was on him also. He shouldn’t have left his phone on the table, when both of them knew his passcode, not long after they’d been encouraging him to contact Simon. In retrospect, he should have seen it coming. But he wasn’t about to thank them for it either. Maybe he could even make them wait for it a little.

“Come on,” Felice said, dying to know.

“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say he agreed to come, considering the way you reacted when you saw the texts,” Maddie pointed out, because of course she had to ruin his fun. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her. Just because.

“He said he’d love to tag along,” Wille answered their question, feeling his cheeks heat up as he repeated the words. Just like a teenager with a crush.

“See, we told you he’d be happy to hang out with you,” Felice said with a smile. And Wille was glad they went with the ‘going on a walk’ option instead of inviting Simon for dinner. The second option sounded way too much like a date, and Wille wasn’t sure he could have handled it if Simon had either left him on read or straight-up refused.

“Don’t thank us,” Maddie added, taking a sip from her drink.

“I wasn’t going to,” Wille replied.

“I mean, we got you a date with Simon,” she argued.

“It’s not a date,” Wille corrected her. They were just going to hang out. And Wille suspected that at least half of the reason Simon had said yes was to see Leo again. The dog hadn’t run away since the time Wille had been caught luring him next door, which meant his neighbour hadn’t seen Leo since Wille had come over for dinner.

“We’ll see about that,” was what Maddie said, giving him a pointed look.

He didn’t want to get his hopes up, in fear of being disappointed in the end. So, for now he focused on the fact that he would get to see Simon again tomorrow, that they’d get to talk some more and that it would already be more than enough for him. He could be Simon’s friend, he repeated to himself as he looked back down at his screen. He needed to reply to the other, not wanting to leave him on read.

Wille

I’m good, thanks.

I’m thinking early afternoon, but I’ll let you know in the morning?

Simon

Sounds good 😊

Wille wanted the conversation to keep going now that they were texting, but he didn’t know what to say to do so. It was also getting late, so maybe Simon had better things to do than speak to him. He would just have to wait to see him to talk some more. 

The next day couldn’t come soon enough.

He’d completely tuned out of whatever conversation his friends were having as he’d been focused on his phone. When he locked it and looked back at his friends, Felice gave him a knowing look but didn’t say anything, answering to what Maddie had said instead – which he was grateful for.

When Wille made it home an hour or so later, he was pleasantly tipsy and a little tired. But he was feeling light and happy. He would be seeing Simon in only a matter of hours, and he could hardly wait.

He let Leo out into the backyard while he got ready for bed, and once the dog was back inside and ready to go upstairs for the night, they both made it up to Wille’s room. The alcohol running through his veins was the reason why, once he was under the covers and Leo had settled on top of them next to him, he didn’t think twice before snapping a photo and sending it to Simon. Had he been sober, he’d have definitely overthought the whole thing and would have eventually decided not to go through with it. But tipsy Wille didn’t have such problems.

Wille

He might look sleepy but he’s excited for tomorrow

Simon

Owww, he’s so cute!

I’ve missed him

Wille

Just him?

And Wille knew he would have never dared to send such a text had it been any other night, but the drinks he’d had tonight gave him the courage to press send, without freaking out about it as he waited for Simon’s reply. He didn’t have to wait for long for it.

Simon

No, not just him 😉

Wille smiled at his phone like an idiot, already so gone for his neighbour. Leo opened his eyes to look at him then and, had he been sober, he might have felt like his dog was judging him. But he couldn’t care less now. He gave him a scratch behind the ear and turned back to his phone.

Telling Simon he’d missed him too would be a little too much, even for him right now. But also, Simon had used a winky face . Wille had no idea what it meant, but it could only be something good. A winky face.

As it turned out, Simon hadn’t expected anything in return as he sent a second text.

Simon

Goodnight, Wille 😊

Give Leo cuddles from me

Wille

Will do!

Goodnight Simon

🐾🐾🐾

Wille was first woken up by Leo a little before 6 the following morning. It was in a half-awake state that he’d made his way downstairs to let the dog out, leaving the glass door ajar, before going back to bed to get some more sleep. He woke up a second time after 9, feeling much more rested, with his puppy cuddling into his side, snoring softly. This had to be one of Wille’s favourite moments of the day, just taking a moment to watch Leo sleeping, being so adorable, knowing the dog felt content and comfortable around him. There really was nothing like it, and he didn’t think it would ever stop feeling special.

When he eventually grabbed his phone and unlocked it, he was glad he hadn’t done that at 6am. It had been left in his chat with Simon and, had he been reminded of that three hours ago, he wouldn’t have been able to fall back to sleep. He was a little reassured when he read through their exchange and didn’t find anything too embarrassing, feeling very glad that he hadn’t had more drinks the previous night. God knew what he’d have said to Simon had he been drunk. Shifting in bed to stretch his libs, being careful not to jostle Leo, he couldn’t wait for it to be the afternoon.

Today, he got to hang out with Simon.

He wanted to text his neighbour, tell him they could meet at noon, but it was probably a little too early to be considered the afternoon. While he was looking forward to seeing the other, he didn’t want to seem that desperate. So, he tried to keep himself busy, doing some laundry, some cleaning and tidying around the house. But it seemed like time was going by so much slower than it usually did.

When it was finally lunch time, he grabbed his phone and sent a text to Simon. If it took him a couple of minutes and tries to write something he was happy with, well no one needed to know.

Wille

Hi, Simon. I hope you’re doing well.

I was thinking of leaving around 3, would that work for you?

His texts sounded so serious, almost official, but he wasn’t comfortable enough texting Simon yet to be cooler and more chill about it. Luckily, he didn’t have time to overthink it too much as he received an answer almost right away, like he had last night.

Simon

Morning!

3 is perfect, see you soon 😊

He gave Leo his lunch, and then grabbed his own and went to sit on the couch with it. It seemed like time slowed down even more once he was done eating. He felt like he saw almost every single minute go by, trying to distract himself by scrolling on his phone or playing with Leo in the backyard.

When it was finally ten minutes to three, Wille went upstairs to get ready to leave. He made sure there wasn’t any stain or anything on the t-shirt and shorts he’d carefully picked out in the morning, he fixed his hair in the mirror, and then he was back downstairs.

Maybe he could head out now. It would mean he’d only show up at Simon’s a few minutes early, so it should be okay. Leo was eyeing him curiously from where he sat on the sofa. It was only once Wille had put his shoes on and he grabbed the leash from the coat rack that the dog got up and rushed to his feet, going from uninterested to overexcited in half a second. Wille wasn’t about to say anything or tell him to calm down when he was feeling excited as well, albeit a little nervous too.

“We’re gonna see Simon,” he told Leo who let out a small bark in response. Wille doubted the dog had actually understood what he’d said, but it still made him smile as he got out of the house with Leo and locked the door behind them.

He was still smiling as he walked the short distance separating his house from Simon’s and rang the doorbell. He was a few minutes early, but it didn’t seem to be an issue for his neighbour who opened the door just a few seconds later, shoes already on and apparently ready to go.

“Hi,” Simon barely had the time to say before Leo let out another bark and closed the distance between them. Simon bent down to pet him right away, a beautiful smile lighting up his face. “Hi, buddy,” he told the dog, laughing when Leo tried to lick his face and he just barely managed to escape the attack. Wille could only smile brighter at the sound of the other’s laughter. “Hi, Wille,” Simon looked up at him then, smiling back.

“Hi,” Wille replied, only now realizing he hadn’t said anything yet. 

He had to get himself together. But Simon didn’t seem to mind as he just looked at him, shining brighter than the sun itself. 

“Shall we?” Wille managed to ask after a few seconds of them just looking at each other. If they never decided to move, Leo would just stay there, perfectly content getting cuddles and attention, not caring about going on the walk they were supposed to be heading out for.

“Let’s go,” Simon confirmed, giving the dog one last scratch behind the ear before standing back up and closing his front door.

There was a small moment of silence as they walked away from their houses and down their street, where neither of them seemed to know what to say. It wasn’t uncomfortable per say, but it was still making Wille a little nervous as he found himself unable to think of a topic to get the conversation going.

“How was your week?” Simon asked when they turned left into another street, breaking the quiet that had settled around them.

Not for the first time, Wille was so glad Simon had spoken first. It wasn’t even anything crazy, just a basic question people asked each other all the time, but he hadn’t even thought to ask something like that. Though could anyone really blame him for reacting the way he did around Simon when the other always looked so effortlessly beautiful? His neighbour looked so bright in the sunlight; it seemed like he was glowing. Wille was unable to look away as he – finally – answered his question.

As they made it out of their neighbourhood and into the little woody area next to it, Simon talked some more about the lessons he gave and his passion for music. Wille learned that his love for music had come from his dad, although Simon didn’t say more about the man. They talked about piano a little longer, as Wille also knew how to play and could participate more into the conversation – though he’d have been happy just listening to Simon talk for hours. His voice was soothing and beautiful, and Wille found himself once more wishing he could hear the other sing.

By the time they reached a little clearing, they’d moved on to asking each other questions, questions that had started with their favourite movies, shows or artists, but that had turned more random the more they walked. Wille was enjoying every single moment of it, feeling like he knew Simon more and more as the minutes went by.

When Wille unclasped the leash from Leo’s collar and let him run around the grass, they happily threw a stick back and forth, letting Leo catch it and bring it back to either one of them.

They were so caught up in the moment, laughing and chasing Leo, that they didn’t notice the weather changing. When the sky had previously been bright blue with the sun shining, it had now turned dark and a little menacing. Wille’s attention was only brought to it when Simon pointed it out, saying he’d felt a raindrop on his arm.

“We should probably head back,” Wille replied. He doubted they’d manage to make it home before it started raining more.

And he was proven right only a few seconds later when it started pouring, the trees barely sheltering them from the attack from the rain. Once Leo was back on his leash, they started running, hoping to get home before it could get any worse. Leo seemed to be the least bothered out of the three of them as he ran into the mud and the puddles quickly forming on the ground. Wille would have to give him a bath as soon as they got back.

By the time they finally made it to Wille’s, they were drenched to the bone. Their clothes were stuck to their bodies like a second skin and, had they not been running to get to shelter, Wille might have taken the opportunity to look at Simon more closely. Maybe he’d have taken a moment to stare at the way Simon’s shirt now perfectly hugged his chest, or the way his hair was still curly even though it was soaking wet. But as Wille unlocked the door and stepped inside, he was more preoccupied with preventing Leo from disappearing somewhere into the house and getting mud everywhere. So, he quickly bent down to hold the dog by his collar, stopping him from taking a step further into the hall. 

He watched as Simon took off his shoes, happy to know the other was planning on sticking around for a bit. Wille took his own sneakers off, kicking them to the side as best he could without letting go of Leo. He then turned to Simon.

“Can you hold him for a sec?” Wille asked. “I don’t want him to make a mess.”

“Sure,” Simon replied, his hand replacing Wille’s on the collar.

Wille quickly climbed the stairs, not caring too much about whether he was dripping water on the floor or not. Water would easily be wiped away, unlike mud. He cleared the edge of the tub and took out Leo’s shampoo and towel as fast as he could. He grabbed two other towels for Simon and him, leaving his by the sink but taking Simon’s back down the stairs with him.

“Here,” he said, handing the clean towel to Simon with one hand, and taking a hold of Leo with the other.

“Thanks,” Simon replied with a small smile.

Wille took a second to just look at him, at the way his tan skin glowed with the water covering it, and he watched as Simon dried off his hair a little, making it look all messy and fluffy. He was so pretty. Who even looked this pretty after running home under pouring rain? Wille didn’t even want to think about what he looked like, hair probably all over the place and face flush.

“Come on, buddy,” Wille said as Leo started to move around, clearly wondering why he wasn’t allowed to live his life in peace now that they were back home. “Let’s give you a bath,” he added, picking the dog up, not caring if he dirtied up his shirt in the process. He’d have to throw his clothes in the wash once he got out of them anyway.

Wille walked back down the hall, only stopping in his tracks when he noticed Simon wasn’t following him and was instead standing by the door with the towel now over his shoulders.

“You coming?” he simply asked.

Had Simon not taken his shoes off, Wille might have assumed he wanted to go back to his own home and change out of his wet clothes. But the other seemed to want to stay, if his shoes by the door and the way he was still here were anything to go by. So, for once, Wille didn’t overthink it. When he started up the stairs again, he was pleased to find Simon behind, following him.

Once Wille made it to the bathroom, he put Leo down in the tub and turned the water on, letting it heat up a little. He noticed how Simon was standing a few feet away, hovering in the doorway, unsure of what to do. 

Maybe Wille should have offered him some dry clothes already. After all, he didn’t want Simon to catch a cold because of their soaked clothes. But he couldn’t really leave Leo alone and hope he’d stay sitting in the tub, waiting for Wille to come back. He knew better than that. and he didn’t want to ask his neighbour to look after the dog while he went to his room – he’d already asked Simon enough when it came to Leo. Telling Simon to go grab some clothes in his room would be quite weird as well, no matter how much he wanted the other to share his space. He tried not to think too much of the fact that Simon didn’t seem to want to go back to his own house, if only to grab a dry shirt and shorts. It was still raining heavily outside, so they were both probably too happy to finally be sheltered from it to even consider going back out so soon. They would just have to stand in their wet clothes for a few more minutes while he took care of Leo.

“Well, at least one of us enjoyed the rain,” Simon commented with a laugh as he watched the muddy water run down the drain while Wille rinsed Leo off.

The bathroom was filled with laughter as Wille did his best to wash off the dirt from Leo’s fur. Not only did the dog attempt to jump out of the tub not once but twice, being stopped at the last second by Simon, who was now sitting on the very edge of the tub. But the dog also shook his little body once the shampoo had been rinsed out, sending water everywhere and wetting their clothes just a little bit more. Simon didn’t seem to mind any of it though, staying close to them, watching, laughing and smiling, apparently perfectly content being right there, with them.

“He’s adorable,” Simon said once Leo was all clean, leaning with his front paws on the edge of the tub as he waited for Wille to pick him up and wrap him in a towel.

Wille was powerless to do anything but smile as Simon pulled out his phone and took a picture of Leo, feeling so happy that the other was not only having fun but also wanted to remember this moment enough to snap a picture – even if it was only because of Leo being his cute self. 

“Has he lost his mind?” Simon asked when they stepped back into the living room a moment later.

Once Wille had finished taking care of Leo, he’d gone into his bedroom to get some dry clothes for Simon and him. He’d let Simon get changed into the bathroom while he did the same in his room. It had taken everything in Wille not to melt on the spot at the sight of Simon in one of his t-shirts and pairs of shorts. He would be thinking about that moment for days to come, that much was certain.

They’d made it back downstairs after that to find Leo going through his usual post-bath routine.

The dog was currently walking up and down the couch, rubbing himself on the back rest, the seat as well as the pillows and the throw blanket where he usually lay down. It wasn’t the first time Wille had seen him do that, but it still amused him. Even more so when he heard Simon’s question and saw the confused look on his face.

“Don’t worry about him, he always does that after a bath,” Wille replied as Leo jumped off the couch and threw himself at the dog bed by the window. “Something about marking his territory again, or feeling a little less freshly cleaned,” he explained, shrugging a little. “I don’t really know. But give him a few minutes, and he’ll calm down.”

“Alright,” Simon answered, letting out a small laugh when the dog leapt back up on the sofa, kicking a pillow to the floor in the process.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Wille asked then, turning his attention to Simon. Now that they’d dealt with Leo and they were in dry clothes, maybe offering his neighbour something to drink would be a good idea. “I could make us some hot chocolate,” he suggested. He wasn’t feeling cold or anything, but it felt like an appropriate option with the grey sky and the rain beating against the bay window.

“Sure,” Simon agreed, turning to him with a small smile.

“Okay,” Wille said. “Just make yourself at home, I’ll be right back,” he added, before walking away and into the kitchen.

He didn’t waste any time, grabbing the milk from the fridge and, once he’d measured the quantity he needed, putting it on the stove. Next was the cocoa powder, which he set on the counter while the milk heated up. He opened the cupboard for mugs and contemplated his options for a second. He’d accumulated quite a few mugs of various shapes and sizes through the years, not owning even two identical ones. Some of them were so old, the drawing on them was barely visible anymore. Others were so silly he didn’t want Simon to see them, not if he could help it. After taking some more time to think – and making sure the milk wasn’t boiling – he settled on his two favourite ones. The first one was covered with frog doodles. He wasn’t sure where his fascination with frogs had come, but he knew he really liked that mug. The second one had been a gift from Felice when he’d adopted Leo. It was a simple white porcelain mug with the image of a beagle on it and the words Best Beagle Dad written around the drawing. Wille had felt ridiculously emotional when she’d offered it to him, and it still held a special place in his heart now.

Once the hot chocolate was mixed and poured into the two mugs, Wille added whipped cream on top as well as some more cocoa powder sprinkled over it. He was very careful as he took a mug in each hand and made it back to the living room. He found Simon sat on the couch, scrolling on his phone, as Leo seemed to have calmed down already. The dog was now sitting on the sofa, having left a space between him and Simon, space where Wille would happily sit.

“Here,” he said, getting Simon’s attention as he locked his phone and put it down. He grabbed the mug Wille was handing him, which turned out to be the beagle one.

“Thanks,” Simon smiled up at him, before he looked down at the mug in his hand. “Best Beagle Dad?” he asked then, clear amusement sipping through his voice.

Wille only let out a small laugh as he shrugged, setting his drink down on the coffee table to pick up the cushion Leo had sent to the floor earlier. “It was a gift from Felice, when I got Leo,” he replied then, sitting down next to Simon while still being careful to leave a little bit of room between them. “My friend from the other night,” he clarified after a second. “Best friend actually,” he added. And he really needed Simon to say something back now before Wille kept talking and spelled out his life story.

“That’s really sweet actually,” Simon told him, smiling, before he took a sip from his hot chocolate.

“Yeah,” was all Wille said back. Because it was. Felice truly was the best, and her gift had been really sweet.

“Can I ask what made you adopt Leo?” Simon asked once he’d drank a bit more from his mug. “Like was it something you’d always wanted or…”

“Not necessarily a beagle, at least not at first. I’d always wanted a dog growing up, but my mum categorically refused the few times I brought it up, so I stopped trying after those couple of attempts,” Wille explained, still remembering how disappointed he’d been after each refusal. “When I moved out of my parents’ house, it was only a matter of time before I got a dog honestly. But it wasn’t really the best fit with student life or the roommates I had back then, so I just waited some more,” he continued. “I really started looking for dogs up for adoption when I moved into my first solo apartment. Beagles had become a favourite of mine by then, but I would have been happy giving a home to any dog who’d have needed one,” he went on, receiving a smile from Simon in return, showing him that he was listening. “And then one day, Erik, my brother,” he clarified, though he didn’t exactly need to, Simon had met him after all, “he learned from one of his coworkers that their dog was expecting, and they were looking for people who’d want to adopt one of the puppies. So, we went over to their house some time after the birth and met Leo and Juni. It was pretty much love at first sight. He wouldn’t leave my side and I didn’t want to let him go either. And, a few weeks later, I brought him home,” he concluded, stroking the dog’s back now that Leo had settled down on the couch next to him.

“So was that back when you still lived in Stockholm?” Simon asked, looking at the peaceful dog by Wille’s side.

“Yeah,” Wille confirmed, drinking some of his hot chocolate before it got cold. “I decided to move not long after that. For various reasons, but one of them was for him to have more space when he’d have to be locked inside for a few hours in a row.”

“Well, he seems like a pretty happy dog to me,” Simon commented, getting a laugh out of Wille, which made the other join in.

“He is,” Wille confirmed after a moment. “Do you have any pets?” he asked, realizing too late that he already knew the answer to that question since he’d been to Simon’s and hadn’t seen any there. “Or did you have one in the past?” he corrected himself then.

“I used to have fishes when I was living at my mama’s house,” he replied. “I annoyed her for weeks, I really wanted some. She eventually agreed under one condition, that they’d be my responsibility and mine only. So, the fish tank was installed in my room, by the foot of my bed, next to my desk. It wasn’t the easiest to sleep at night with the constant noise and light, but I quickly got used to it,” he continued, shifting a little in his seat so that he could see Wille more properly as he talked. “I had three of them, and I managed to keep them alive for a few years. They died one after the other, shortly before I started uni.”

“Oh, that’s sad,” Wille commented, not really knowing what else to say. Though the image of a younger Simon taking care of his little fishes playing in his head was a really cute one. But it wasn’t like he needed any real or additional reason to find the other irresistible anyway. “You never replaced them?” he asked then.

“No,” Simon said, “it wasn’t really on my mind when I moved out of my mama’s house and into my little university studio. And then, I kind of lost interest in having a pet fish I guess.”

“You could always get a different pet,” Wille pointed out.

“And what would I get?” Simon asked, letting out a small laugh. “A cat?” he added, making Wille shrug, a smile on his face. Simon’s expression quickly shifted after that as he cast a look at Leo. It made Wille worry for a second until the other spoke again. “Wait, would he eat it if I had a cat?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly, his own eyes landing on the sleeping dog. “He’s never been around cats, so I have no idea how he’d act around on,” he explained, scratching the back of his neck with the hand that wasn’t holding his mug.

He tried not to read too much into Simon worrying about how Leo would behave around a hypothetical cat. His heart was fluttering, feeling happy that it meant Simon wanted them to spend more time together in the future, time where their respective pet would get to interact as well. But his brain reminded him that Simon was his neighbour , and Leo could represent a risk for his cat just by living next door, especially considering his dog’s previous habit of going into his neighbour’s backyard. Really, it didn’t have to mean anything more.

“Fair,” Simon said in response to his previous statement.

There was a moment of silence that followed where Wille wasn’t sure what to say. He was trying to think of something to talk about, of a new topic of conversation, but his mind was coming up blank, like it always did around the other. He’d learnt quite a few things about Simon the other night when they’d had dinner together, as well as today on their walk. He felt like he knew the other a little more. But there was still so much he wanted to know. Actually, he wanted to know everything about Simon. But it wasn’t like he could ask him a bunch of questions; he didn’t want the other to feel like he was being interrogated or anything. Instead, he focused on the hot chocolate in his hand, which was now lukewarm at best.

“You know,” Simon broke the silence, placing his own mug down on the coffee table.

Wille could have kissed him for coming up with something to say. The silence hadn’t exactly been uncomfortable, but he’d been afraid Simon would leave if they didn’t have anything else to talk about. Not that he actually needed one specific reason to want to kiss the other.

“I was really confused the first time I found Leo in my backyard,” Simon continued as he pulled one of his legs up to the couch, resting his other thigh over his ankle.

His knee touched the side of Wille’s leg as he did so. Wille expected him to move a little so that the touch wouldn’t last – he was already feeling way too warm for just that small point of contact between them. But Simon didn’t move away. He stayed right where he was, with his right side now pretty much resting against the back of the couch. Wille felt like he could die any second now. Not only was Simon’s leg touching his, but the new position meant that Simon was turned towards him, and he could feel the other’s eyes on him at all times. He tried really hard to fight back a blush, but he doubted he was very successful. He wasn’t sure he could form a proper sentence in response to Simon’s statement, so he only hummed in reply, showing he was listening, and encouraging the other to go on.

“Like, all of a sudden, I saw something moving outside and I was very confused,” Simon said, letting out a small – beautiful – laugh. Wille was definitely dying today. “And I got even more confused when I saw it was a little dog. Like I’d have expected a cat,” he continued, either not noticing Wille’s struggle or ignoring it. “They find their way everywhere. But definitely not a puppy.”

Wille drank the last of his hot chocolate, putting his mug down next to Simon’s on the table. He tried to focus on the words that were leaving Simon’s mouth – after all, he’d never heard his side of the events – but it was hard when he was distracted by the way his lips moved around the words, looking so plump and soft. He wondered for a second – and not for the first time – what Simon would taste like. Chocolate and whipped cream, obviously. But what would be underneath that?

“And when he saw me through the window, he came right up to it,” he heard the other continue. His lips were now stretching up into a smile, somehow making them even harder to resist. “He was so sweet after I’d opened the door, sniffing my hands and then asking for scratches once they’d passed the test,” he added, letting out a laugh. Wille couldn’t hold back a smile any longer.

“He scared the hell out of me that day,” Wille managed to say, by some form of miracle. He looked up to Simon’s eyes, snapping himself out of the daze he’d been in. There was no way the other hadn’t noticed him staring at his mouth.

“Yeah, it looked like it,” Simon commented, not seeming the least bothered by Wille’s weird behaviour. He didn’t move away from him or stop smiling. If anything, he almost seemed to be sitting closer to Wille than he’d been a few minutes before.

“I was a mess,” Wille pointed out, remembering how he’d opened the door with messy hair, a flushed face and no shirt on.

“No,” Simon disagreed with a small shake of his head. “It was cute.”

And Simon really had to stop referring to him and being cute in the same sentence if he didn’t want Wille to kiss him stupid.

“It was definitely a way to make a first impression,” Wille commented, letting out a short, breathy laugh. Now wasn’t the time to tell Simon about the actual first time they’d laid eyes on each other, or at least the first time he had seen Simon – he was pretty positive the other hadn’t even noticed him that day nor would he remember it.

“It was,” Simon replied in a slightly different tone than before, a tone Wille had never heard from him. If just that didn’t make his body heat up, the way he saw Simon’s eyes look down at his now covered chest, presumably remembering a shirtless Wille, definitely had warmth spreading through his stomach and up to his cheeks. “But hey,” Simon continued, lifting his hands up in front of him, “you were the one who made him go to my backyard in the first place.”

“I did not!” Wille protested, his voice sounding so much higher and whinier as he said it. He was positive his cheeks were bright red now, though they could never be as dark as they were on the day Simon had caught him throwing treats in his backyard. “It was just that one time,” he added, letting out a groan and putting his face in his hands, feeling the need to hide himself both because of the embarrassment and because of Simon’s gigantic smirk.

“So you said,” the other replied. He was clearly enjoying teasing him and getting him all flustered. “But what tells me you didn’t lure him to my house every single time, uh?” he asked, bumping his shoulder into Wille’s.

Had Wille not been dying from embarrassment – again – he’d have noticed how Simon barely moved away from him after that, their arms and shoulders way closer than they’d been just a second ago.

“I didn’t,” Wille repeated once more, only getting himself a bright, beautiful laugh in response.

When he finally emerged from his hiding place, Simon had such a wide, mischievous grin on his face. It made his heart skip a beat. Or two. Simon had no business looking so irresistible wearing one of his shirts and a pair of his shorts while making fun of him.

Fuck, he wanted to kiss that grin off his face.

“Please do,” Simon said, his voice suddenly sounding much more serious, but also deeper. His words hung into the space between them, creating a tension that hadn’t been there a moment before. It got Wille confused.

“What?” he dumbly asked. Until he realised he’d probably said his wish out loud. Which meant Simon had heard him. And had he just accepted?

When his eyes moved up and met Simon’s, he found his neighbour already looking straight at him. And when had they moved so close on the couch? There was barely any space left between them. Wille could feel the heat emanating from the other’s body. How hadn’t he noticed that before?

Simon didn’t answer his question, staying there without moving, like he was expecting Wille to do something.

Simon was waiting for him to kiss him.

Wille swore he’d never felt his heart beat so fast. Would that be how he’d die? What a way to go if it was, with the most beautiful person he’d ever seen sharing his space, holding his gaze, and waiting for Wille to do something.

Do something, his brain yelled at him, apparently somehow still functioning despite the situation.

Simon lifted an eyebrow at him. It almost looked like a challenge. And it was finally what got Wille moving, leaning down towards the other. He didn’t have to go all the way; Simon happily met him in the middle.

There was a moment of pause, before their lips were about to meet. Wille could feel Simon’s breath against his skin, smelling of the hot chocolate they’d just drank. He could feel the tip of Simon’s nose against his, which he only realized then was gently moving against his. And he could feel one of Simon’s curls gently tickling his forehead.

His heart was beating so loud, he wouldn’t be surprised if Simon could hear it. Hell, it seemed like he couldn’t hear anything apart from it and their inhales and exhales. It was as if the world around them had ceased to exist, and all that was left was this moment. The moment Wille had been dreaming of, never daring to hope too hard for it. But it was here. Wille barely managed to hold back an incredulous laugh. He could hardly believe he was here, about to kiss Simon. That last thought was what finally made him close the last of the space between them.

When his lips finally met Simon’s, it felt like one of those moments from books and movies. He’d always thought it was ridiculous, how they would make it seem like a life changing experience when the main character finally got to kiss their love interest.

But fuck if kissing Simon didn’t change the trajectory of his life.

His lips were so impossibly soft and gentle against Wille’s. Simon had been so patient with him as he’d tried to make sense of the mess of his thoughts. And he still was now, letting Wille lead the kiss, not rushing him, and just kissing him back like Wille had wished he would so many times since they’d met weeks ago.

If such a thing as a perfect kiss existed, it had to be this.

Simon broke the kiss seconds later, way too soon for Wille’s liking. Now that he’d got a taste, he never wanted to stop.

He couldn’t find it in him to be embarrassed when he let out a shaky breath in the barely there space between them, before diving back in. He didn’t overthink it either when he placed his hand down on Simon’s bent leg, coming to rest on his thigh to help keep his balance and avoid either falling on Simon or down on the floor. That one touch seemed to be all the other needed to not hold back anymore, deepening the kiss as one of his hands moved to the back of Wille’s neck, half resting on his skin and half in his hair. The action also had the effect of pulling their faces even closer, making the kiss all that much better.

Wille had loved Simon’s curls from the first moment he’d laid eyes on him, and he’d fantasized of touching them so many times, way more than he would ever admit to anyone, including himself. So it was no surprise when his other hand, almost with a mind of its own, gently touched the side of Simon’s face, brushing past his ear to end up in those glorious curls.

And fuck, they were as soft as they looked. If not even softer.

Simon’s own hand buried itself deeper in his hair as Wille got the confirmation to his previous musings. Simon did taste of chocolate and whipped cream. But there was also something behind it, something that could only be described as Simon. Wille deliriously thought he could become addicted to it. To kissing Simon.

When he felt Simon’s teeth teasing his bottom lip, he thought he might just black out, his body leaning more towards the other in response to it. If they kept going like that, it wouldn’t be long before Simon ended up with his back on the seat of the sofa with Wille hovering over him. He had a feeling the other was more than on board with this idea as his hand that was still in Wille’s hair pulled his head forward and his leg shifted on the couch, as if to make room for him. He could barely wait to find out if their bodies would fit together as perfectly as their lips did.

It was all perfect. So fucking perfect. Until a high-pitched whining sound came from next to them.

All their movements stopped, their lips hovering over each other’s and their hands stilling in the other’s hair. They didn’t have to wait too long before another whine was let out, somehow even higher than the previous one. Despite it being the last thing he wanted, Wille started pulling away from Simon, just as he felt paws on the side of his thigh, and a head bumping into his arm.

“Leo,” Wille whined in return. Fucking Leo.

The dog let out a small bark in response to his name, clearly not being able to read the room and realise he’d interrupted a very nice moment. Wille turned his head to glare at the dog, although without any real anger behind it. The next thing he heard was Simon’s beautiful laughter as he broke down laughing, his head falling on Wille’s shoulder. His whole body shook with the force of it, and Wille soon joined in, just as Leo climbed onto his lap and put his two front paws against his chest, trying to lick his face. When Wille moved his head back to avoid the attack, the dog turned his attention to Simon, sniffing his curls and nudging the other’s head with his. The only reaction it got was making Simon laugh even harder as he let himself fall on his back across the cushions. The next second, Leo was climbing on top of him, standing on Simon’s torso and trying to lick his face as well. Simon laughed even harder as he tried to dodge the attack as best as he could, offering the dog scratches behind the ears in the hopes of making him stop.

“Were you jealous?” was the first thing Simon said in a while, in between laughter.

He’d definitely been, Wille replied in his mind. Leo had always been a rather needy dog, and Wille loved him all the more for it. He loved that the dog was always excited to see him, that he would always want cuddles and affection. Erik had said on more than one occasion that Leo was the dog version of Wille – which, fair enough. And Leo was clearly not used to Wille’s attention being on someone else while he was right there.

“You were, weren’t you?” he heard Simon repeat. And it seemed like he’d got Leo to calm down enough to settle on his chest, happily taking all the ear scratches he was giving him.

“Sorry about him,” Wille said, although it was impossible not to smile at the sight of Simon and Leo together. He’d also just got to kiss Simon, so the smile would probably be staying on his face until he went to bed that night. And he’d most likely wake up with a smile in the morning too.

“It’s okay,” Simon replied, smiling back at him. His lips looked almost plumper and softer now, and Wille really wanted to kiss him again.

Fuck. He’d kissed Simon.

He wanted to let out a squeal. He wanted to open the window and scream it out to the neighbourhood. He wanted to call Felice and yell it through the phone. But there was nothing he wanted more than getting to experience it again. But he needed to deal with Leo first.

“He’s probably hungry too,” Wille said, only then realising it was almost dinner time.

With how much Leo had played with them and ran around this afternoon, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to be hungry already. He was barely getting up from the couch that the dog’s attention was on him, big bright eyes looking at him expectantly.

“Come on, bud,” Wille told him, although he was pretty sure Leo would have followed him out of the room anyway. He always did whenever Wille left a room, and even more so when it was to go to the kitchen.

As it was, Wille had barely stepped away from the sofa when he heard the sound of Leo’s paws hitting the floor and trailing behind him.

“Sit,” he told the dog as he grabbed his bag of food, pouring some into his bawl when Leo obeyed the order. Once there was enough food in the bawl and Wille had stepped away, he spoke again, “eat.” He never had to say that twice.

He was a little startled when he turned around and found Simon standing in the doorway. Wille hadn’t heard him coming nor had he expected him, so the sight definitely took him by surprise. His reaction got a laugh out of Simon though, which was always worth it.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Wille offered without thinking twice about it. He knew he didn’t want their moment to end just yet. And now that he knew the other at least fancied him too, maybe he didn’t have to hold back as much anymore. “We could order something.”

“I’m not having a poor delivery person brave the rain,” Simon replied, giving him a look. Even though it wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier, it was still raining outside.

“I’m pretty sure they’ll be working whether we order or not,” Wille pointed out, earning himself a – fond? – eye roll from the other.

“Wille,” Simon said. And it was clearly meant to chastise him a bit. But all Wille could think about was how much he loved the way Simon said his name. And how much he wanted to hear his neighbour say it in various different contexts. “Come on, we can cook something. You do have food, right?” Simon asked, sounding half serious, half playful as he came to stand closer to Wille, leaning against one of the cabinets.

“Of course,” Wille confirmed. It was his home after all, so he obviously had food. He’d actually been to the store the previous day, so his fridge was about as full as it would get with him.

“I have a feeling you’re not much of a cook,” Simon commented. Had it been anyone else, Wille might have felt judged by that. But not with Simon, considering a soft smile stretched his lips after he’d said it. He was obviously not judging, and it was more about him being observant, and maybe starting to know Wille a little bit.

“I don’t do big, complex things, not like you seem to,” he admitted. There was no point in lying or pretending here. He’d never prepared a full-on meal like the one he’d eaten at Simon’s the other night. His mother had never taught him how to cook, nor had she ever really bothered to cook herself either. “But I can make pretty good basics,” he added, which was true. He’d learnt slowly but surely when he’d started university. And while it was never anything grandiose, he’d never received complaints from his friends, or from Erik.

“Well, let’s make a basic then,” Simon said, still smiling.

Wille didn’t even bother to try to stop his heart from fluttering or his mouth from forming a smile at the idea of them making dinner together in his kitchen. He really liked that idea – anything that would have him spend time with Simon to be honest.

“As long as I get food in my tummy, and that food is edible, I’m not picky,” Simon added, making him laugh. Wille couldn’t even bother to pretend to feel offended.

“Shrimp pasta?” he suggested then. It was one of the dishes he’d made the most, so it should be a safe one. Hopefully Simon would like it.

“Now you’re talking!” Simon happily agreed. “So, what should I do?”

Simon accepted the task of cutting some garlic and onion while Wille took out and measured all the other ingredients. Once that was done, Wille put Simon in charge of the pasta, while he cooked the shrimps and made the sauce. They didn’t speak much as they prepared dinner, the conversation mainly consisting of Simon asking him what he should do, following Wille’s lead. Wille was quite proud of himself for not getting distracted by the other’s presence and actually managing to focus on the food.

Well, that was until he didn’t have anything left to do, once the sauce was done and slowly simmering, waiting for the pasta to be done. That was when he let himself truly look at Simon, when he noticed how close they were standing to each other. Simon must have felt eyes on him because he looked up at Wille then, letting out a small laugh.

“What?” he asked with a smile.

“Nothing,” Wille replied, slightly shaking his head.

They stood in silence for a couple of seconds, staring at each other. Wille didn’t know who made the first step, but the next thing he knew was that they were kissing. Simon’s lips were back on his and it was all that mattered.

One second they were kissing slowly, gently, and the next Wille was backing Simon into the cabinet next to the stove and Simon was lifting himself up to sit on the counter, making room for him between his legs. Simon was taller than him that way and Wille loved it. He didn’t dare putting his hands down on Simon’s thighs – not yet, no matter how much he wanted to – but placed them on the counter on either side of them instead. He did dare to deepen the kiss though, loving how he could only taste Simon now, rapidly getting addicted to it.

It was good, so good. Which was why he didn’t understand when Simon tried to pull away, mumbling his name against his lips. Wille only chased his mouth in response, not caring about anything else.

It was getting harder to ignore though when Simon’s hand, which had previously been in his hair, moved to the front of his chest and slightly pushed on it. That action definitely had Wille stop and pull away, if only enough to be able to see the other.

“The pasta,” was what Simon said, and it took Wille a second to understand what pasta the other was on about. “The water is overflowing,” he added. And oh right, they’d been making dinner.

Wille turned his head to the stove, seeing the proof of what Simon had just said. “Oh shit,” Wille let out, taking a step back from the other.

“Wait,” Simon objected, holding on to his shirt with the hand that was still on Wille’s chest. He was confused for a second, until Simon leaned over to peck him once more on the lips. “Okay,” he said after, slightly pushing Wille away.

Wille couldn’t do anything but smile as he eventually stepped out from in between Simon’s legs to take care of the overflowing water and make sure their dinner wasn’t ruined.

Dinner turned out to be a success, despite the near catastrophe with the pasta. It seemed like Simon really enjoyed it, if the fact that he happily ate a second serving and the way he kissed Wille senseless afterwards – garlic breath be damned – were anything to go by.

It took Simon several attempts to leave that evening. The first time he mentioned it was getting late, Wille kissed along his jaw, up to his mouth, until the idea completely slipped from the other’s mind. When they eventually got up from the couch and made it to the entryway, Simon was the one to push him against the wall and kiss him some more. And when Wille eventually got the front door open, they shared a few more kisses on the front step before finally letting each other go, waving from their respective doorsteps with silly smiles on their faces before they eventually retreated back inside.

🐾🐾🐾

🐾🐾🐾

As much as Wille wanted to hang out with Simon again on Sunday, he didn’t dare to ask, not wanting to come off as needy or too clingy. In the end, he learned that Simon was visiting his mama for the day, so they wouldn’t be able to see each other anyway, even if Wille had asked.

Without much to do with his day, Wille ended up on the couch with his phone, opening Instagram and clicking on Simon’s profile – because they were following each other on Instagram now. He looked at all the posts, all the way back to when Simon was in high school and first started posting pictures. He was extra careful not to accidentally like any of the posts, not wanting to make even more of a fool of himself with his neighbour. A lot of the photos on his profile were of Simon and his friends, Simon and his family, or related to music in some way. There were a couple of selfies here and there, as well as pictures of the man taken by other people – if Wille spent some extra time looking at those pictures, no one needed to know. He learnt that Simon had grown up in the town next to where Hillerska was – and how crazy was it that they’d lived so close to each other for three years without ever meeting? And here they were now, neighbours, friends, and hopefully something more.

He called Felice on Sunday afternoon, barely going through the usual ‘hello’ and ‘how are you?’ before he blurted out that he’d kissed Simon. The noise his best friend let out as a reaction was so loud and high-pitched that Wille had to turn down the volume on his phone and reassure Leo that everything was okay, giving the dog some extra cuddles after he’d woken up in panic. They talked for over an hour, Felice wanting to know all the details. After their call, he sent a text to Maddie to let her know – it was their preferred way of talking –  and he wasn’t surprised to receive a ‘I TOLD YOU SO’, though it was quickly followed by happiness and excitement.

🐾🐾🐾

The routine of the work week came back with Monday morning, and Wille found himself buried in work, having to deal with a last-minute assignment that needed to be done by Thursday. It seemed like the universe was against him all week, as when he was finally free in the evenings Simon had unusually late lessons to give.

When Thursday came around and Wille was done with his deadline, he really just wanted to see Simon. It was ridiculous that they lived literally right next to each other and yet hadn’t got one chance to hang out in over four days. What made the situation even worse was that they wouldn’t get to spend an evening together this weekend either since Simon was working, singing at the bar on both Friday and Saturday nights.

But, at least, they’d been texting. A lot. They talked about their days, about what they’d eaten, about Leo of course, or anything really. Anything but the many, many kisses they’d shared the previous Saturday.

While he had talked about what had happened in depth with his closest friends, he hadn’t discussed it at all with Simon, the second person involved, the one that mattered the most. He’d hoped Simon would bring it up in some way during their many chats, but he hadn’t. And Wille had had no idea how to even start that conversation.

The truth was, he was still a little in disbelief at what had happened. And now, almost a full week later, he was starting to think that maybe he’d made it all up. Though, if he focused hard enough, he could still feel Simon’s lips on his, he could still taste Simon on his tongue, he could still smell the perfect mix of his cologne and shampoo.

God, how he wished he could be with Simon right now.

He felt like he was going crazy. Not only did he miss being around Simon, but he also missed kissing him. He really wanted to kiss him again.

But, instead of doing that, he was sprawled out on his sofa, a random true crime show playing in the background as he contemplated what to have for dinner. That was when he received a text, making his heart beat faster. He really hoped it was from Simon. He leaned over to retrieve it from the coffee table, almost losing his balance in the process. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw that it was indeed from Simon.

Simon

What are you doing Friday night?

Wille almost thought the other was about to ask him out on a date or ask if he wanted to hang out. But then he remembered that Simon was working that night. So, it couldn’t be that. He quickly typed in a reply.

Wille

I don’t know.

Nothing?

It wasn’t like his Friday nights were ever really exciting. He might go out for dinner with Erik sometimes, or hang out with Felice and Maddie, maybe go to a bar. But he didn’t have anything planned that week. He’d probably spend the evening like he was now, being lazy on the couch with Leo lying next to him.

He didn’t have to wait long for Simon to reply, barely having the time to lock his phone before it rang again.

Simon

shared a location

Come hear me sing? 

Chapter Text

Simon

Come hear me sing?

Wille had to put his phone down and breathe for a second. Not only did Simon want to see him, but he was inviting him to watch him sing. The prospect of seeing the other again already made Wille’s heart bounce around in his chest, and it was only made more frantic with the fact that if he went, he’d hear Simon sing. If he went, of course he was going.  

Wille

I’d love to

He hit send before he could overthink the use of the word ‘love’. Simon would surely appreciate the enthusiasm.

What time?

There was a stupid smile on his face as he stared at his phone, waiting for a reply. As it was often the case when they texted, Simon quickly answered.

Simon

I start at 8, so any time after that ☺️

Wille

Looking forward to it!

He didn’t think twice before sending this text either. Hell, they’d made out for quite some time the previous weekend, he could at least be open about wanting to see Simon again.

🐾🐾🐾

Wille

Leaving now!

Simon

See you soon 😚

The kissing face emoji had almost made Wille walk straight into his front door when he read it. Which again was ridiculous, considering they’d already kissed for real last Saturday. He had still been blushing as he’d made it to Felice’s car, where Maddie and her were waiting for him. He’d asked them to come, not wanting to be all alone in this new bar he didn’t know. It hadn’t taken much convincing for them to agree. Felice was curious to hear Simon sing and Maddie just wanted to finally see him in the flesh after hearing so much about the guy. Wille hoped Simon wouldn’t mind that he’d brought friends with him.

He was feeling a little nervous as he stood in front of the bar. He couldn’t see Simon through the windows nor hear him sing, but he knew he had to already be there; it was almost half past eight after all.

“Are you going in or what?” Maddie asked from where she stood next to him, always the least patient of the group.

Wille took a deep breath before he pushed the door and stepped in, holding it open for his friends to follow. The inside of the bar was different from the ones he was used to. It had a cosy atmosphere to it, with its wall decorations and mismatched furniture. But it wasn’t like Wille paid much more attention to the decor as soon as his eyes landed on the little stage on the other end from where they stood. Because up there, dressed in all black and with a guitar in his lap sat Simon.

Beautiful, perfect Simon.

It seemed like he’d been in-between songs when Wille and his friends walked in as it was only then that Simon started singing again.

And oh.

No matter how much Wille had thought about it and imagined what Simon’s singing voice would sound like, there was no way he could have ever been prepared for the real thing. He’d had no doubt it would be beautiful, just like the man it belonged to. But his imagination was no match to the reality of it.

Simon sounded like an angel, singing along to the melody he was playing on his guitar.

He belonged on a stage.

Wille had no idea how long he stood there, motionless, staring at the man, taken to another world by this heavenly voice. Not for the first time he found himself wondering how Simon could even be real. And Wille felt so lucky to get to witness his beauty, and to get to know him.

There was truly no one like him.

“Are you going to stand there gaping like a fish all night or do you want to sit down?” he heard Maddie ask. And how dare she speak while Simon was singing?

Wille didn’t dignify her question with an answer, but he started moving again. He made it to one of the empty tables, picking the one that had the best view of Simon. He hoped no one had seen him standing still, in awe, like an idiot. He sat down in one of the chairs and a beer was placed in front of him by his friend as Felice took a seat on his left.

He didn’t pay much attention to his friends as Simon sang, only taking his eyes off of him to take a sip from his drink. It was only when Simon finished another song and said something about taking a break that he registered their presence again.

“He’s pretty cute,” was the first thing Maddie said. And what an understatement that was.

“His voice is amazing,” Felice commented next. “He’d have totally stolen the show had he been in our choir in Hillerska.”

Wille couldn’t disagree with that. If you asked him, Simon could outshine anyone. It was also crazy to think again that there could have been a world where they could have known each other back when they were teenagers, where they could have maybe attended the same school.

His eyes followed Simon as the other placed his guitar down and made his way to the bar, where the bartender handed him a glass of water. He watched as they exchanged a few words, and then Simon’s eyes found his across the room.

“I’ll be right back,” he told his friends as he got up.

Simon’s eyes were on him as he made his way over, so Wille was extra careful not to bump into a chair or trip on his own feet. Simon smiled when he finally reached him, without falling over.

“Hi,” Simon greeted him, looking even more beautiful from up close.

Wille really wanted to kiss him again.

“Hi,” he replied with a smile of his own. “That was amazing,” he said, nodding towards the stage. He couldn’t wait another second to let Simon know how talented he was. But surely, he already knew that.

“Thank you,” Simon replied, looking a little sheepish.

Wille couldn’t be the first one to compliment him on his singing. But if that was the reaction Simon had when he did, he’d make sure to do it again, until he was sure the other believed him and agreed with the fact that he was unbelievably good.  

He noticed Simon looking away from him, and when he followed his gaze, he found Felice and Maddie staring at them, not even trying to be subtle.

“Sorry,” Wille apologised, although for what he wasn’t sure. “I came with my friends. I hope that’s okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” Simon replied, smiling when his eyes met Wille’s once more.

“Do you want to meet them?” Wille asked the other, nodding in the direction of his friends.

It would be weird not to introduce them when they were all in the same room, especially when his friends had come to hear Simon sing too. But also, Felice and Maddie were amongst the most important people in his life. And Simon was Simon. So, a part of him really wanted them to meet, and get along. He could only hope Maddie wouldn’t ridicule him right away.

“Sure,” Simon agreed, handing his now empty glass to the bartender. “Lead the way,” he added.

Wille hesitated for a second as they stood there looking at each other. He wanted to reach out and take one of Simon’s hands in his, and lead him to the table. But he didn’t know if the other would be comfortable with that. So he held back from doing that and simply started walking back to his table, looking over his shoulder once or twice to make sure Simon was following him.

The girls stopped talking when they reached them, having no doubt been talking about them. But Wille chose to ignore it as Simon came to a stop next to him and his friends’ attention turned to him.

“Guys, this is Simon,” he introduced him, although it was pointless by now. “Simon, this is Maddie,” he continued, pointing to the girl, “and you’ve met Felice already,” he added, referencing the night when Simon had assumed Wille and her were dating.

“Hi,” Simon simply said to them, adding a little wave – which was just adorable.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Simon,” Maddie said. The tone of her voice and the smirk on her face let Wille know nothing good was going to come out of her mouth. “We’ve heard so much about you,” she added. And there it was.

“Only good things, I hope,” Simon replied, turning his head to the right to grin at Wille.

And maybe Wille didn’t mind the teasing if it meant Simon looked at him like that, with his eyes wrinkling at the corners and his pretty lips stretched into a smile. And yep, he was definitely staring at Simon’s mouth now.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Maddie said, the look on her face turning even more mischievous.

Wille kicked her under the table before she could add anything more, lucky to be standing on her side of the table so that he could reach her. Maddie let out a small yelp, looking up at him with a glare that he returned. Felice was rolling her eyes at them from across the table. Simon let out a small laugh next to him, clearly enjoying the little scene they were making.

“That was really good,” Felice changed the subject, nodding towards the stage. “You have a beautiful voice.”

“Thanks,” Simon replied, his smile turning a little shy at the praise. Wille could almost see a blush appearing at the top of his cheeks.

Fuck, he was so pretty.

“Felice sings too,” Wille pointed out, “she was in the choir at school.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Simon replied.

“I was never as good as you are though,” Felice said. His best friend had a beautiful voice. But Wille wasn’t sure anyone was a match to Simon’s though – but he might be a little biased.

“Still much better than Wille,” Maddie unhelpfully commented.

“You’re one to talk,” Wille fired back, accompanied by a disbelieving chuckle.

Simon laughed at their antics, slowly shaking his head with a smile on his face. Wille didn’t know what it was about him tonight, but he was even more beautiful. Maybe it was the dim lighting in the bar. Maybe it was the product Simon had put in his curls to hold them back a little. Maybe it was the black shirt with the first few buttons undone showing a bit of skin and a little gold necklace resting between his collarbones. Maybe it was the glow in his eyes that he got while he sang. Maybe it was the fact that Wille had now heard him sing. Or maybe it was all of these things, paired with the fact that Wille knew what Simon smelled like, what he tasted like, what his curls felt like under his hands and what his lips felt like against his own.

But it wasn’t only about what Simon looked like. While that was what had made Wille interested in him at first, it went way further, way deeper now. Simon was incredibly kind, he was funny, he was smart, and so many other things that Wille found himself in awe of. Maybe perfection didn’t exist, but Simon was the closest thing to it he’d ever encountered.

He was perfect for him. And Wille liked him a lot. 

“I have to get back to it,” Simon snapped him out of his thoughts, “but it was nice to meet you,” he added, smiling at Maddie and Felice. He then turned to Wille, looking up at him with a shy smile. “Stay until I’m done?”

As if there was a world where Wille would say no to that.

“Yeah,” he confirmed with a smile of his own. He could feel his friends’ eyes on him, no doubt waiting for Simon to leave so that they could make fun of how gone he was for the man. But he didn’t care. All that mattered right now was the way Simon was looking at him and the fact that he wanted Wille to stay.

“’kay,” Simon replied, his smile widening before he started walking away from their table. It was still on his face when he made it back on the stage and picked up his guitar.

When Simon eventually finished singing for the night, Wille was probably – definitely – the person who applauded the longest. Felice and Maddie had left over half an hour ago with his best friend telling him to let her know if he needed her to drive him home. His friends had assumed Simon and him would go home together, which made sense since Wille was waiting for him, and they lived right next to each other. Not that they would be going home together. Wille didn’t have any expectations whatsoever, and he wasn’t sure he could handle doing anything more than kissing the other – his heart had barely recovered from last Saturday.

It took Simon a few minutes to pack his stuff and be ready to leave. And then he was walking over to Wille, guitar case in his left hand and a beautiful smile on his face.

“You’re really amazing,” Wille couldn’t help but compliment Simon once more when the other reached him.

“Thanks, Wille,” Simon replied. And there was definitely some colour at the top of his cheeks. Cute. “Your friends left?” he then asked, though it wasn’t as much a question as an observation.

“Yes,” Wille confirmed with a small nod, “it’s just us.”

And that was exactly what he’d been waiting for these past six days. To see Simon and be alone with him again. And here they were now.

“Ready to go?” Simon asked him. “Or maybe you wanted to stay here some more –”

“No, let’s go,” Wille agreed, standing up from his chair. It was cute how Simon seemed to be a little nervous and shy tonight. It made him feel a little better about all his stumbling and hesitations.

“Okay,” Simon replied, having to look up a bit to talk to him, now that Wille was standing.

He really wanted to lean down and kiss Simon, but he wasn’t sure how Simon would feel about that, not only in public but in his place of work. So Wille waited. Still, he took a loose hold of Simon’s hand, his left index and middle fingers hooking around Simon’s right ones. That small, single point of contact had sparks travelling up his arms and spreading inside his chest. Wille caught a glimpse of the small smile on the other’s face as he looked down at their joined hands before he started walking, Simon following close behind him.

The night air did nothing against the warmth spreading through his entire body as they stepped out. In fact, he barely noticed it, too focused on the fact that he had Simon close again.  

“Where to?” Wille asked as they stood on the sidewalk. He had no idea where Simon’s car was parked, or where Simon wanted to go, if he wanted to go somewhere else.

“My car’s just down the road,” Simon replied.

So, they started walking again, this time side by side. They’d barely made it a few metres down the street when Simon let go of his fingers. Wille didn’t have the time to be disappointed about the loss of it as Simon properly took hold of his hand instead, with all their fingers intertwined and their palms pressed together. Wille’s hand was a little clammy, but Simon didn’t seem to care or mind, never letting go of it as they kept on walking to Simon’s car.

“Where’s your car parked?” Simon asked as his vehicle came into view.

“Uh, at home,” Wille replied, “Felice picked me up and drove us here.”

“So how are you getting back?” Simon wondered as they came to a stop by his car. He let go of Wille’s hand to open the trunk and place his guitar down in it. But then, he turned his attention back to him.

“Oh, uhm,” Wille started, unsure what he was going to say. Maybe he shouldn’t have assumed Simon would drive them both home. That might have been a little presumptuous. He could still text Felice and ask her to drive him back, as she’d offered, but she was probably in bed by now. “I just thought that,” he tried to explain, feeling Simon’s intense gaze on him, “that since we live next to each other it made more sense to take one car.”

“Uh-huh,” was all Simon said in reply. It finally made Wille look up at him and he was met with Simon’s shining eyes and playful grin. “I’m just teasing you, Wille,” he told him, smiling even wider.

“Oh,” Wille let out. Of course, that was what Simon had been doing. He should have known. It wasn’t the first time the other was doing that, nor would it be the last, if he had to guess.

“So,” Simon said then, taking a hold of Wille’s hand once more and slightly pulling on it. Wille followed the movement and stepped closer to him.

“So?” Wille repeated as a question, unsure where the other was going with this.

“Will you kiss me now?” Simon asked, raising his left eyebrow.

Oh fuck. Had Wille messed up somehow? Had Simon hoped he would kiss him in greeting at the bar? Or before he’d gone back on stage after talking to Maddie and Felice? Had he been waiting for Wille to kiss him all night long?

It seemed like Simon noticed his inner turmoil, the look on his own face probably giving him away, because he pulled on Wille’s hand once more, reducing the space between them again.

“You think too much,” was what Simon said. And then his lips were on Wille’s. He couldn’t disagree with that statement, not that it mattered anymore because Simon was kissing him and all the thoughts running around in his head came down to Simon Simon Simon.

Wille could hardly believe that those same lips that had been forming around lyrics and letting out Simon’s beautiful voice as he’d sung were now moving against his own, closing around his top lip and lightly pulling on it. When Simon’s tongue teased at his mouth, Wille took a step forward, making Simon take one backwards until his back was pressed against the car behind them. With their new proximity, Simon had to lift his head up more. Wille’s hands seemed to have a mind of their own as his left one made its way into Simon’s curls. His hair felt a little different with the product in it, but it was still so soft. A thrill ran through Wille’s body at the thought of Simon’s hair getting all messed up because of his fingers running through it. Simon’s hands had found a home on Wille’s hips, holding on to him and lightly bunching up the fabric of his shirt. Wille’s right hand settled on the back of Simon’s arm, just above his elbow. Whether it was to make sure Simon wouldn’t pull his own away or because Wille just needed to touch him, he wasn’t sure, but it didn’t really matter why he was doing it. All he knew was that the fabric of Simon’s shirt was soft and silky under his palm and that he could feel the warmth emanating from his skin, wishing he could be touching it instead.

“I’ve missed this,” Simon said when they eventually pulled apart. Though it didn’t last for long as he pressed his lips back to Wille’s right after that statement. The kiss was shorter this time, but no less intense.

“Yeah?” Wille found himself asking once there was some space between them again, resting his forehead against Simon’s. It was hard to see the other properly in such proximity, but he didn’t want to be further away from Simon than what was strictly necessary.

“Yeah,” Simon confirmed, gently nodding his head against his own.

“I wasn’t sure where we stood,” Wille confessed quietly, his hand that had previously been in Simon’s hair now resting on the back of his neck. “You haven’t brought up last Saturday once in all our chats this week.”

He expected Simon to tell him that he hadn’t brought it up either, but that wasn’t what came out of the other’s mouth.

“Wille,” Simon said, his voice suddenly sounding much more serious. He also put some more space between their faces then, locking his eyes on Wille’s as he spoke again. “I like you,” he stated so simply, as if the confession didn’t make Wille’s heart race in his chest or his cheeks redden furiously. “Surely you must know that by now.”

“You do?” Wille asked instead, a part of him still finding it hard to believe that someone like Simon could ever be interested in him. He’d never been the lucky kind of guy in his life. Ever.

“Yes,” Simon confirmed, as if it was so obvious that the fact Wille was even asking that question was preposterous. “Hasn’t my interest in you been obvious enough?” he asked in what appeared to be slight disbelief. “I’ve pretty much been flirting with you from day one.”

“Wait, what?” Wille asked, completely taken aback by that statement. Had Simon really been interested from that first day they’d met, despite how much of a mess Wille had been back then? That hardly seemed possible.

“Wow,” Simon said, letting out a small laugh. “Am I that off my game?” he asked, holding a hand up to his chest as he did. “I was pretty positive you were interested too, especially after you insisted on the fact you didn’t have a girlfriend nor a boyfriend that one time,” he continued, making Wille feel mortified once more because of the way he’d acted around Simon at the start. Not that he was not a disaster anymore, but he could at least hold a conversation with the other now. “But then you didn’t text me for a whole week,” Simon added, his voice sounding almost a little sad.

“Oh my god,” Wille exclaimed as he held his hands up to cover his face, along with his embarrassment.

So, it seemed like his friends had been right all along. How could he have been so blind?

“I’m an idiot,” he mumbled into his hands, feeling way too stupid to face Simon now.

“No, you’re not,” Simon disagreed, wrapping his own hands around Wille’s wrists and gently pulling them away from his face.

“Oh yes, I am,” Wille replied, because he really had been so blind to it all.

“A cute idiot, then,” Simon said with a grin, brushing his thumbs over the insides of Wille’s wrists, right where his pulse point was.  

“I’m just not great at reading those situations,” Wille admitted in a smaller voice, finally finding the courage to look at Simon again, “or at flirting.”

“I think you’re better than you give yourself credit for,” Simon said with a soft, comforting smile. His hands slid down Wille’s wrist and took hold of his own, lacing their fingers together.

“I doubt it,” Wille contradicted him, letting out a small scoff. “I’ve been making a fool of myself from that first time I saw you in the street.”

“Wait, what?” It was Simon’s turn to be taken by surprise this time.

“Oh shit,” Wille cursed himself for that slip of the tongue. He had never planned on telling Simon about that first time he’d caught a glimpse of his neighbour – which he didn’t know about then – and his beauty, or about how he’d been a little obsessed with him from then on.

“In the street?” Simon repeated. “I thought we’d met when Leo ran away that first time,” he continued when Wille didn’t react nor answer. “Didn’t we?” he asked, slightly pulling on Wille’s hands to get a reaction.

“I saw you once before that,” Wille finally admitted, because there was no point in denying it or lying now that the cat was out of the bag. “A few weeks before we actually met,” he clarified, looking down at their intertwined hands. “I was walking Leo and our paths literally crossed one night.”

“Why don’t I remember that?”

“It was just a very short moment, I doubt you even properly saw me that day,” Wille said, trying to push down his disappointment. It was silly to feel that way because Simon didn’t remember walking past him that day. They hadn’t spoken, or even nodded at each other in greeting. It wasn’t like Wille remembered every single person he walked past on the street, so he couldn’t blame the other. But, of course he would remember Simon.  “It’s okay that you don’t remember.”

“I guess the universe really was actively trying to have us meet,” Simon replied, leaning over to peck Wille’s cheek.

“Maybe,” Wille said, unable to hold back a smile at the action. He loved how natural it seemed to be for Simon to do that. He could really get used to it. Hell , he wanted to get used to it.

“And I’m so glad we did,” Simon told him with a smile of his own.

“Me too,” Wille agreed, placing a kiss on Simon’s lips. “And I like you too, for the record,” he added, “in case that wasn’t painfully and embarrassingly obvious.”

“You do?” Simon asked, pretending to be shocked by that statement.

“Shut up,” Wille replied with a roll of his eyes. Simon started laughing at that and there was nothing he could do other than join him, loving how melodic and perfect Simon’s laughter was, just like his voice.

“Let’s go home?” Simon asked once their laughter came to a stop, smiling softly up at him.

Home. He could get used to going home with Simon.

“Yes,” Wille said with a smile of his own. “Let’s.”

🐾🐾🐾

🐾🐾🐾

Simon’s POV – the next day

Missed call from Wille 🐶💜

As soon as Simon saw the notification, he pressed the ‘call back’ option. He’d heard his phone ring as he was driving but he’d waited until he was parked to look at it. It barely took two rings before the other picked up.

“Hi,” he heard the other’s voice greet him through the phone.

“Hi Wille,” he replied, smiling even though Wille couldn’t see him.

“Is now a bad time?” Wille asked, ever the worrier.

Simon’s first thought was never with you, but he didn’t voice it out. “No, I just parked in front of work,” he opted for instead. “I’m a little early, so what’s up?”

He couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t curious about Wille calling him. After all, they’d only parted ways a couple hours ago, after spending the night at Wille’s and having breakfast together this morning. Surely Wille didn’t miss him that much to just be calling him for the sake of it. Though Simon honestly wouldn’t mind if he were, and he might even be missing Wille a little bit already.

“I have a favour to ask you,” was what Wille said instead.

“I’m all ears,” Simon replied, happy to help Wille in any way he could.

“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” the other asked, confusing Simon a little bit. He was pretty sure Wille was supposed to be busy and away all day tomorrow.

“Uh, no?” he answered, though it came out a little questioning. After the busy week it had been, his only plans for the next day were to sit on the couch and do nothing.

“You know how tomorrow is my parents’ wedding anniversary?” Wille asked, which yes, Simon did know about. They’d talked about it just this morning.

“Yeah,” Simon confirmed. Wille had first brought it up during the week when Simon had asked if they could hang out on Sunday. And then he’d talked about how he wasn’t the most excited to spend his entire day around his parents and all their guests. So, it wasn’t any news to Simon. But why was Wille bringing it up again now?

Oh fuck. Was he going to ask Simon if he could come with him? Surely if he wanted that, he’d have brought it up sooner than the night before. But also, wasn’t it a bit too fast too soon for them? Sure, Simon really liked Wille, and he’d already met Erik, but meeting the parents felt like something much more important, especially at an event like that. Simon didn’t think he was ready for that just yet. But also, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to refuse if that was what Wille wanted to ask him.

“Well, we’re spending the day on a boat, so taking Leo with me isn’t really an option,” Wille started explaining, “also my mother has heavily implied that dogs wouldn’t be welcome there,” he added, and Simon thought he heard a small sigh on the other end of the line. “Anyway, I was supposed to drop Leo off at Felice's in the morning, but she’s feeling a little under the weather, so I don’t want to bother her.”

“Okay…” Simon replied, still confused as to where Wille was going with this.

“I was wondering if it’d be possible for you to check on him during the day?” Wille asked then, and Simon was finally starting to understand the purpose of this phone call. “If you could just make sure he’s okay every few hours, feed him and then let him out into the backyard once or twice so that he can run around and stuff?” he said, not even giving Simon the time to say anything before he went on. “Sorry, I know it’s a lot to –”

“No, Wille,” Simon interrupted him before he could say more, “it’s okay. I can look after Leo, of course,” he told him. He’d even be happy to, especially if it meant helping Wille. “But wouldn’t it be easier if you dropped him off at mine before you leave?”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” was Wille’s response.

“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” Simon told him. It would make more sense as well as be easier if Leo just stayed with him all day, instead of going back and forth from his house to Wille’s.

“You wouldn’t mind?” Wille asked, because of course he would check to make sure it was actually alright.

“Of course not,” Simon was quick to answer, without any hesitation whatsoever. “You know I love Leo, and I’d be happy to take care of him. It’d be better than him being alone in your house, no?”

“Yeah, it would,” Wille agreed, because it was just the most logical option honestly.

“Perfect then,” Simon replied, smiling through the phone once more even though the other still couldn’t see it. “Just drop him off at my house with whatever he’ll need before you leave.”

“Thank you, Simon,” Wille said, sounding so grateful for such a small and simple thing. “Really.”

“Of course, that’s what neighbours are for!” he replied teasingly, hearing Wille’s soft laughter on the other end of the line.

Making the other laugh would never get old. He just wished he could see Wille’s face right now. He was so pretty when he laughed, with the crinkles by his eyes and his crooked teeth on display. Well, he was always pretty, but that wasn’t the point. He was brought out of his contemplations when he saw the time on his dashboard. He had to get out of the car and into work if he didn’t want to be late.

“Look, I have to go,” he said, although that wasn’t what he wanted to do. He’d have happily stayed on the phone for longer, maybe even for hours, but he couldn’t exactly do that right now. “But I’ll see you tomorrow,” he added, which he was still happy about, even though Wille wouldn’t be able to stay.

“Okay,” the other replied. “Thank you again.”

“Always,” Simon said, and he could almost hear a smile matching his own in Wille’s voice. “Bye, Wille,”

“Bye, Simon.”

🐾🐾🐾

Simon was woken up the next morning by his phone buzzing on his nightstand. He wondered who could dare wake him up on a Sunday morning as he blindly extended his arms in the direction of the noise, his hand finally grabbing the device. He managed to pick up just before it stopped ringing, not even bothering to look at who was calling.

“Hello?” he mumbled into the phone. His voice sounded hoarse and heavy with sleep, but he couldn’t be bothered to care.

“Simon?” he heard Wille’s voice on the other end. Fuck. Wille. He sat up in bed so suddenly his head started spinning a little. He’d forgotten to set an alarm after their call yesterday, and he’d been too tired when he’d come home from work to even think about anything other than collapsing onto his mattress. “Did I wake you?” Wille asked.

“No,” Simon lied before he finally cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound a little better, and a lot less sleepy. “Or maybe,” he added a second later. He doubted his lie would have even been believable. “Sorry, I forgot to set an alarm.”

“It’s okay,” Wille replied, and Simon could tell he was feeling a little embarrassed and a little guilty for having woken him up. And he was right, because the next thing that left Wille’s mouth was, “I’m sorry for waking you.”

“Are you leaving?” he asked instead, not wanting the other to dwell on it. He pulled the phone away from his ear just enough to be able to see the time. 9:45.

“Yeah, I was going to drop Leo off now,” Wille explained. Simon could hear some shuffling on the other end of the call as well as Wille mumbling something he couldn’t quite make out to Leo, he assumed.

“I’ll be right down,” Simon told him before ending the call.

He got out of bed and grabbed a pair of shorts, quickly putting them on. He then slipped a tank top on and walked into the bathroom. He tried to have his hair not look as messy and fluffy as it was first thing in the morning, but he wasn’t exactly successful. But it wasn’t like Wille hadn’t already seen his bed hair yesterday anyway. There wasn’t any time for him to brush his teeth, so he just rushed down the stairs as he was. It would have to do for now. He unlocked and opened the front door just as Wille walked up to it. When he caught sight of the other, he was left a little speechless.

“Morning,” Wille smiled at him from the doorstep, holding a bag and Leo’s leash in one hand, his car keys being in the other.

A suit. Wille was wearing a suit.

He was wearing the full thing, with the jacket and the tie. Simon’s brain malfunctioned at the sight of the other in a suit. He didn’t pay much attention to Leo putting his front paws on his leg and asking for cuddles, his tail wagging with excitement. None of that mattered because Wille was wearing a suit. A beautiful, perfectly fitted dark blue suit with a white shirt and a black tie. His hair was styled to remain in place for the day – or rather for an hour, maybe two, knowing how much the other always ran his hands through it.

“Simon?” Wille asked when Simon didn’t say anything, and instead stood there looking him up and down.

“You look,” he started to say, but there wasn’t really any word good enough that came to his mind to describe how Wille looked. “Wow,” he settled on instead, watching as a beautiful blush crept up the other’s cheeks and he bashfully looked down at his feet.

“Yeah?” Wille asked a second later, daring to look back up at Simon again.

“Yeah,” Simon confirmed in a sigh, smiling at him. Leo had moved away from him and was now busy sniffing Simon’s various pairs of shoes that were by the door. This allowed him to take a step forward and close the space between Wille and him, placing a short kiss on the man’s mouth. “Hi,” he finally replied then, watching a smile illuminate the other’s face.

He wished Wille could stay here, and he could admire him in his suit for longer, or maybe peel it – or rather rip it off of him. But Wille was expected by his family, and Simon was on babysitting, or rather dog sitting duty.

“I’ve put his food in here, along with a few of his toys and a bag of treats,” Wille explained, handing over the bag in his hand. “You can give him a few of them during the day,” he added as Simon took the bag from him. “Here’s his leash too, though you don’t have to take him on a walk, you can just let him out in the backyard,” he continued, giving the leash to Simon as well.

“Okay,” he replied.

“Just text or call me if you need anything,” Wille said then, putting his now free hand into his pants pocket. “I don’t know exactly at what time I’ll be back tonight, but it shouldn’t be too late.”

“Sure, no problem,” Simon replied with a smile. He didn’t have any plans and he doubted looking after Leo would be that much of a taxing job.

“I should really go now, before I’m late,” Wille said somewhat reluctantly, looking down at the dog who was now sniffing around the hallway. Wille seemed to hesitate, taking a step towards Leo, but then stepping away. “I shouldn’t give him a cuddle goodbye; my mother will kill me if I have dog hair all over my suit.”

Simon let out a small laugh at that, though he didn’t doubt the fact that Wille’s mother might freak out, considering what the other had told him about her.

“Just call if you need anything,” Wille said one more time.

“I will,” Simon confirmed with a smile.

“Okay,” Wille slightly nodded. He took a step into Simon’s space, kissing him softly though it was a little longer than their previous kiss. He didn’t seem to mind the fact that Simon hadn’t brushed his teeth yet – he hadn’t minded it the previous morning either anyway. “See you tonight.”

“See you,” Simon replied, “have fun.”

He watched as Wille walked to his car, got in and started it. He waved at Simon as he drove away, a wave that Simon returned with a smile.

And then it was just him and Leo, standing in his entryway. He closed the door before the dog could get any idea, not wanting to start the day with a disaster. They stayed there for a second, just staring at each other before Simon sprang into action and walked into the kitchen.

He started the coffee maker to make his morning drink and took the items out of the bag while it warmed up. He filled one of the two bowls with water and placed it down by the counter, leaving the other on the countertop with the dog food for later. Wille hadn’t said anything about it, but Simon was pretty sure he’d given Leo his breakfast already. So, the dog’s pleading, wide-open eyes wouldn’t work in making Simon give him more food.

“This won’t work on me,” he said to the dog as he grabbed a mug and put it down onto the coffee machine, letting it fill it up with coffee.

He spent his morning like he’d planned to, sitting on the couch in front of the TV. The only difference to his original plans was the dog lying next to him, snoring softly with one of his paws wrapped around a small stuffed elephant that looked well-loved and like it had seen better days. At least it was still in one piece, Simon thought. He found that sight really, really cute, so much so that he just had to snap a pic and send it to Wille, though he didn’t get any reply to it.

Around noon, he figured it might be time for him to shower and actually get dressed. The second he got up from the sofa, Leo was awake and getting up as well. The dog followed Simon into the kitchen where he put his mug into the sink and then he followed him up the stairs. He sat in the doorway to the bedroom as Simon grabbed some clean clothes, and then followed him into the bathroom. Simon had to admit it was a little weird having a dog sitting there, looking at him as he undressed and stepped into the shower. Leo stayed there for another minute before he apparently got bored and walked out of the bathroom, to who knows where as Simon washed up.

When Simon eventually emerged from the bathroom, it was admittedly a while later. But sue him for taking his sweet, sweet time on his one full day off of the week. The first thing he did was look for Leo. The dog hadn’t come back into the bathroom after he’d left the first time, so Simon was wondering where he’d gone off to. He was thinking he’d find him probably lying on the couch, especially considering the sun shined right on it at this time of day and he’d seen Leo enjoy the warmth of the rays before. He for sure wasn’t expecting to find bits and bits of stuffing at the bottom of the stairs, the trail of which led him into the living room where he found one of the decorative sofa cushions on the floor, ripped open by what he could only imagine had been Leo’s teeth.

Shit.

So, maybe leaving the dog by himself for more than half an hour in a house that wasn’t his and where his human wasn’t hadn’t been Simon’s brightest idea. Wille had mentioned once that Leo could get quite anxious at times, but he’d never seen it happening before so it had pretty much slipped his mind. But apparently Simon leaving him alone must have triggered something in him.

Should he call Wille to ask him about it? No, it probably wasn’t a great idea. Not only had the other not answered his previous text yet, but it wasn’t an emergency either, and he knew Wille was busy today and couldn’t be on his phone at all times.

Simon didn’t actually care about the cushion in itself, which was a good thing because he doubted it could be saved or fixed. He’d just have to throw it away and vacuum the stuffing that seemed to be everywhere in the room as well as the hallway. What mattered now was Leo, who Simon couldn’t see or hear.

“Leo?” he called, but only got silence in response.

Realistically, there weren’t that many hiding spaces where the dog could have seeked refuge. And it seemed like Simon got lucky on that one, because the first place he looked was the spot where Leo was: hidden between the couch and the wall.

“Hi, buddy,” Simon said softly, sitting on the floor next to the sofa. Leo was lying there, his head resting on his paws as he looked at Simon with his big, shiny eyes. The dog let out a small whine at Simon’s words. “Come here,” Simon added, extending a hand towards him.

Leo looked at it hesitantly before he moved towards it and sniffed it carefully.

“It’s okay,” Simon told him, slowly moving his hand under the dog’s head and scratching his chin. “Come here,” he repeated.

This time the dog got up and walked out of his hiding place. He kept his head down as he did so, looking very much like a human – or a child – who’d done something wrong. Simon stroked the top of his head carefully, letting out a small sigh of relief when Leo climbed onto his lap and let himself be pet.

Simon knew this was probably not the best way to deal with the problem. After all, Leo had ripped apart a cushion – which he was pretty sure the dog wasn’t allowed to do just for fun at home – so giving him cuddles and affection was surely not the thing to do right now. But Simon didn’t know what else to do. He had no idea how Wille would deal with the situation and what he would say to the dog to let him know it wasn’t okay to behave the way he’d just done. Simon was no dog parent; he’d never even been on his own with a dog for so long until today. What he could do now was make sure Leo knew he wasn’t mad at him and that the dog didn’t have to feel any more anxious around him than he’d apparently been feeling.

“Should we go outside for a bit?” Simon said then, manoeuvring Leo off his lap and standing up. He walked over to the glass door and opened it, turning around to look at the dog. “Come on,” he added as he stepped outside himself, showing Leo it was okay and he wasn’t about to lock him outside or something.

Leo slowly walked towards him and stopped by his feet on his way out, looking up at him with his big brown eyes.

“This’ll be our secret, yeah?” he said, bending down to scratch the dog behind the ears with a small smile on his face.

After all, Wille didn’t need to know about this.

Once lunch had been eaten by both of them and they’d spent some more time on the sofa, Simon figured now would be an ideal time to go out for a walk. Leo looked up at him when he sat up, giving a look that Simon interpreted as ‘why do you dare wake me up? ’. Or it could have just been the dog looking at him. It was hard to tell. But considering how much Simon seemed to be talking out loud to Leo about everything and nothing today, maybe this should start worrying him. Oh well.

“Do you wanna go for a walk?” he asked. Leo’s ears perked up at the question, and the next thing Simon knew was that the dog was up and off the couch, turning around in circles impatiently, waiting for Simon to actually make it happen. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, getting up and making his way to the door with Leo right behind him.

It was a bit of a struggle to hook the leash onto Leo’s collar as the dog couldn’t sit still for more than a second, apparently too excited at the idea of going out. But once Simon finally managed it, they were out of the house, heading for the park.

It was right as they made it through one of the small entrance gates that his phone buzzed with an incoming call. He carefully switched the leash from his right to his left hand, holding onto it tightly, as he took his phone out of pocket with his now free right hand. He smiled when he saw who was calling and picked up, bringing the phone up to his ear.

“Hi, you,” Simon said as he let Leo lead the way through the paths of the park.

“Hi,” Wille replied on the other end. Simon could hear some music and voices in the background, though it was quite faint. Wille must have stepped away from most of the noise to call him. “Sorry, I just saw your text from earlier.”

“That’s okay,” Simon replied. He wasn’t even surprised to hear the other apologize for such a small thing, though he wished he would stop feeling sorry for such insignificant stuff. “I know you’re busy.”

“Yeah,” Wille said, letting out a sigh afterwards. “I just managed to escape my mother for a bit, but who knows how long that’ll last.”

“And the first thing you did with that free time was call me? I’m really honoured,” Simon teased, because he just had to when it came to Wille.

“Of course I did,” was Wille’s reply, which came out so serious and sincere it had Simon’s heart doing weird little acrobatics inside his chest. “How are things going?” Wille asked when Simon didn’t say anything.

“Good,” Simon replied, which was the truth – if one forgot about the little cushion incident. “We just got to the park.”

“You didn’t have to take him on a walk,” Wille reminded him.

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to,” Simon told him. “Plus, I figured it’d be a good thing to get some exercise, instead of spending the entire day on the couch.”

“That’s true,” Wille agreed, his voice a little tuned out by the blowing wind on the boat. “Though I’d love to be on my couch right now,” he added after a bit.

“On your couch?” Simon pretended to be hurt by the fact Wille didn’t want to be on Simon’s couch with him. “Am I at least invited to join?” he asked then, unable to resist teasing the other once more.

“You’re always welcome, Simon,” Wille said, once again answering so seriously and genuinely to Simon’s teasing.

Fuck, Simon really, really liked him.

“Charmer,” Simon replied instead. Now was hardly the time for any kind of confession whatsoever.

“Look, I should probably get back before my mother finds me on the phone and gives me a scolding like I’m a child or something,” Wille told him. And maybe Simon was a little disappointed that their call was already coming to an end. “I hope I won’t be home too late, but I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Okay,” Simon said, his eyes focusing back on Leo who was now sniffing around a bench, apparently having found some very interesting smell at the foot of it. Simon didn’t even want to know what that was.

“See you later,” Wille’s voice sounded further away as he said that, like he’d started walking back in the direction of all the noise and the guests.

“Bye, Wille,” Simon replied, staring at the blank screen of his phone for a few seconds after the call ended. He didn’t get much more time for that as Leo pulled on the leash, bringing all of Simon’s attention back to him. Simon was glad for the distraction. It was better to focus on the dog now than to think about how much he missed Wille right now and wished the other was here with them. He knew he’d seen him only this morning. And he knew Wille would be home in a couple of hours, and he’d get to see him again. But that didn’t stop Simon from longing for the other, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. So yeah, focusing solely on Leo for now seemed like a great idea as Simon let him lead them around the park, enjoying the mid-afternoon sun and the general feeling of calmness surrounding them.

🐾🐾🐾

🐾🐾🐾

Simon had been sitting outside with Leo when Sara had called him, wanting to catch up on what was new in each other’s life lately. They didn’t talk as much as they used to before, with them living in different cities and having pretty different lives, but they still made sure to check on each other and know what was happening in the other’s life.

“So what are you up to today?” Sara asked as Simon watched Leo run around in circles at an alarming speed, almost looking like he was possessed or something. The only reason why it didn’t actually alarm him was that he’d seen the dog do it before at Wille’s and it had seemed like a normal thing to do.

“Nothing much,” Simon replied, which was often the answer he’d give on a Sunday. “Just hanging out with Leo today.”

“Leo?” Sara said, the confusion obvious in the tone of her voice. “I thought his name was Wille.”

Simon let out a bark of laughter at that, the noise catching Leo’s attention as he turned his head in his direction. “The dog, Sara. Leo is his dog,” he explained, still laughing.

“Oh, right,” his sister said. “You’re looking after his dog?”

“Yeah, he’s got a family thing today and his best friend, who was supposed to take Leo, is sick. So, here he is.” 

Simon had barely brushed the subject of Wille with her, not wanting to be met with all the questions his sister would have had about him and them, unsure if Simon would even have the answer to all of her interrogations. He’d kept it to the minimum, saying he’d met someone, and they were seeing where things were going. She didn’t really believe it was that simple and casual though, having seen the posts the two of them had been making on Instagram recently. Still, he managed to distract her after that mix-up by bringing up the job she’d found at the stables for the summer, which had been enough for her to leave it. At least for now. The conversation had slowly died down after that, until Sara asked about a book of hers that she was convinced Simon had at his place. She wouldn’t hang up until he checked, making him reluctantly get up from his chair and walk upstairs, into his room, where the book would be if he did have it.

As it turned out, he didn’t have it, which was what he’d thought all along. They’d just ended the call when Simon stepped back outside to see that Leo had got up as well. Except Simon couldn’t see him anywhere in the backyard.

“Leo?” he asked, hoping the dog would just bark or walk up to him at the sound of his name. He had no such luck though.

Wille would never forgive him if something happened to Leo while he was looking after him. Hell, Simon would never forgive himself if it did.

But he couldn’t be thinking like that right now; he had to find Leo. He’d been here only a few minutes ago, the dog couldn’t have gone far.

Simon checked inside the house quickly, although he was pretty positive Leo hadn’t gone back inside. Which meant the dog could only be outside.

“Leo,” he called again, walking around the yard. “Leo,” he repeated, louder this time.

And that was when he heard it, a bark in response to the name, coming from somewhere around the hedge.

“Leo,” Simon called once more. Another bark. “Where are you buddy?” he asked, more to himself than anything else. It wasn’t like the dog could answer the question. “Leo.”

And that was when Simon saw movement on the other side of the hedge, in Wille’s backyard.

Simon was powerless to do anything but let out a loud laugh, the irony of the situation not being lost on him. Leo has run away from his garden, to go into Wille’s next door.

Oh how the tables had turned.

“Leo, come here,” Simon said again, aiming his voice in the vague direction where he’d seen movement just before.

He really hoped the dog could make it back to his house because Simon had no way of going over into Wille’s backyard to retrieve him, and his neighbour wouldn’t be home for another couple of hours.

“Leo,” he tried once more, with more determination this time around.

It seemed to be the right tone because it was only a few seconds before Leo stepped back through a small hole in the hedge and found himself at Simon’s feet. The second the dog was back in his backyard, Simon let out a loud laugh. Leo seemed startled by it at first, but then joined in on the joy as he waggled his tail and placed his front paws on Simon’s legs.

“Wait ‘til Wille hears about this,” Simon said as he ran a hand over the dog’s head, whose ears perked up at the name of his owner. “You little menace,” he added, earning himself a bark in response.

Simon couldn’t do anything but smile down at the dog, his excitement and happiness were really contagious. Not unlike Wille’s, Simon thought as he grabbed one of Leo’s toys and threw it across the garden, watching the dog run to fetch it and bring it back. Not unlike Wille’s.

🐾🐾🐾

Simon getting rudely pulled out of sleep seemed to be a theme that day as he was woken up by the sound of his doorbell – instead of his phone this time. He let out a small groan as he slowly came back to the world of the living and blinked his eyes open. He vaguely remembered Wille texting him to let him know he was driving home – apologising for how much later it was then he’d first hoped – and it seemed like he’d fallen asleep shortly after that. Leo, who had been lying next to him on the couch was now somewhere in the hallway, barking because of the doorbell. Had Wille tried to knock first and had turned to the bell when he hadn’t got a response? Fuck, how long had he been waiting outside?

Simon sat up on the sofa before getting to his feet. He stretched his arms and back a little as he walked out of the living room. He found Leo by the front door, staring at it and then at Simon when he heard him coming, looking expectant. Simon tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes with one hand – although all he wanted right now was to go back to sleep – and used the other one to unlock the door and pull it open.

It took a few seconds for his eyes to focus on the figure on his doorstep. But there Wille was, with his tie pulled loose, the top buttons of his shirt undone and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His jacket was nowhere to be seen and his hair was messier than it had been when he’d dropped Leo off this morning. But he looked just as beautiful, if not more.

“Hi,” Wille said, still managing a smile in Simon’s direction even though he looked pretty tired himself.

Wille’s attention quickly moved to Leo who was super excited to see the other again, leaning with his front paws on Wille’s thighs and demanding to be pet. The worry of getting dog hair on his suit seemed long forgotten as Wille smiled down at Leo, happily giving him all the attention the dog was demanding. Simon watched them with a smile for a moment, before he walked around them to close the door again. He then made it back to the sofa, knowing Wille would follow once he’d be done with Leo.

Simon collapsed back on the cushions, letting out a little sigh of satisfaction. He felt only minutes away from falling asleep again. And while going up and into his bed seemed like the best decision, he wanted to hang downstairs some more and maybe hear a little about Wille’s day.

It wasn’t long before he heard the sound of Leo’s nails on the floor, followed by Wille’s more quiet footsteps. Simon pulled his legs towards him, resting his feet on the couch with his knees bent as he lay on his back, giving Wille some room to sit down. The other did just that, but then pulled Simon’s legs to him, letting him stretch them out once more with his feet now testing in Wille’s lap.

“Sorry I’m back so late,” Wille said as one of his hands wrapped around Simon’s ankle and his thumb stroked the skin over the bone. “I didn’t think it would last so long.”

“It’s okay,” Simon replied with a small sleepy smile. “We had a good day.”

“Yeah?” Wille asked as he sank a little further into the back cushions. “He behaved all day?”

“Well, I didn’t really have any experience with dogs before, so some moments were a bit challenging, but it went well in the end,” Simon explained, sticking to his earlier decision of not letting Wille know about the destroyed pillow. It wasn’t a big deal, and he didn’t want the other to have to worry or apologise about it. “It was a fun day,” Simon added, which was true. He’d had fun with Leo today.

“Good, I’m glad,” Wille said with a small tired smile of his own.

Now that Simon was properly looking at his face, he noticed how exhausted Wille looked. His shoulders also seemed tense, something that Simon had hardly ever seen when they were in each other’s company.

He suddenly felt really bad, lying here with his feet in Wille’s lap and the other offering him affection when it should have been the other way around. After all, Simon had spent most of the day at home, hanging out with Leo, when Wille had spent the entire day in a suit, talking to people after people before having to drive multiple hours to get home. Simon should have been the one giving him cuddles and affection.

He moved his legs off of Wille’s lap, getting a confused look from the other at the sudden movement. Instead, he bent his legs at the knee again with his feet flat on the seat. He spread his legs and looked at Wille through the new space between them.

“Come here,” he said, stretching a hand towards the other.

Wille seemed to hesitate for a second, his eyes going from Simon’s outstretched hand to his face, then back again. But whatever battle he seemed to be fighting in his head ended shortly because, the next thing Simon knew, Wille was getting rid of his tie completely and manoeuvring himself in between Simon’s legs. Simon pulled Wille against his chest and wrapped his arms around him. He heard the other let out a small sigh and he could already feel him relax a little into the embrace.

“Comfy?” Simon asked as he stretched out his leg on the outer side of the sofa once more and he hooked the other folded one around one of Wille’s.

“Hm,” the other hummed in affirmative, slowly nodding his head from where it rested against Simon’s shoulder.

“How was your day?” Simon wondered, bringing one of his hands up into Wille’s hair, slowly running it through the soft strands. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the other’s scent. After such a long day, there was barely a hint left of Wille’s cologne. Instead, there was a faint smell of sweat and something predominating that could only be described as Wille. Simon loved it.

“It was okay,” Wille mumbled, turning his head slightly to rest his cheek on Simon’s chest so that it would be easier to speak and be heard. “Kinda long,” he added after a beat. “But my parents seemed happy, so I guess it was a success.”

“That’s nice,” Simon only commented on the last part. And there was really something nice about getting to spend so many years with a significant other. He didn’t know much about Wille’s parents or their relationship, but it had to be at least a little bit good if they’d decided to throw a big party to celebrate their anniversary.

“I missed you today,” Wille let out, his voice barely above a whisper, but Simon heard it perfectly well with how close they were.

“I missed you too,” he replied, holding onto Wille a little tighter with the arm still around his back.

“I told my parents about you,” was the next thing that came out of Wille’s mouth.

“You did?” Simon asked, unable to hold back his surprise. He hadn’t thought Wille would bring him up to them already, especially not today. Although, who was he to be surprised about this when he’d told his mama weeks ago? It had barely taken her two minutes on their weekly video call to ask him why he was so happy and if he’d met someone. There had been no point in lying or denying it then, especially not with his mama. And what would have been the point anyway? He was happy with Wille, already then, and even more now. And, of course, his mama had seen right through him. So really, why was he so surprised about Wille telling his parents about him?

“Yeah,” Wille confirmed, pressing a small kiss to Simon’s neck, right where the collar of his shirt rested. “They asked why I didn’t bring you with me.”

“Oh?” was all Simon could say in reply, a little stunned that Wille’s parents would already want to meet him and would have wanted him there for their wedding anniversary. “And what did you say?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“That it was still new between us,” Wille answered. Simon thought he felt him shrug in his arms, but he wasn’t sure. “You’d have probably been bored if you’d come.”

“Well, I would’ve had you there,” Simon said without thinking too much of it. While he’d himself  thought that it would have been a little soon to meet the other’s parents, he didn’t want Wille to think he wouldn’t be up to tagging along with him for such occasions in the future, if such things were to happen. Of course, he would be happy to be by Wille’s side for those, eventually.

“We should go to bed,” Wille said after a few minutes of comfortable silence between them, “before I fall asleep on you.”

Simon half thought that was what had already happened, and he didn’t think he’d mind it. He told the other as much.

“Well, you might not mind it now, but you would in the morning,” Wille replied as he put his hands down on the couch on each side of Simon, lifting himself up. It seemed like it was taking him much more effort than it actually needed, but Simon couldn’t blame him. Getting up from the couch and upstairs to his bed sounded like too big of an effort for him as well right now. “That is if I haven’t suffocated you by then,” Wille added, looking down at him with heavy-lidded eyes.

Pretty, Simon thought.

“Alright,” Simon replied, letting out a small laugh at the idea. “Let’s go to bed then.”

It seemed like a general agreement that they would spend the night here at Simon’s as Wille let Leo out into the backyard while Simon quickly tidied up the kitchen and made sure the front door was locked. They met in the hallway by the stairs, ready to go up together, as if they’d done this a hundred times before and it was a practised routine. Simon deliriously thought he could get used to it.

“Is it okay for Leo to go upstairs?” Wille asked then, the dog standing between them, looking up expectantly. “If not, we can always put something at the bottom of the stairs to prevent him from going up.”

“No, it’s fine,” Simon replied with a smile. He knew Leo always slept in the room with Wille. And after the two had spent the day apart, Simon wasn’t about to keep them separated for the night. And really, he didn’t mind it.

“Are you sure?” Wille checked, because of course he did. Sweet and kind Wille .

“Positive,” Simon confirmed, only then realising it would be the first time the other would get to the upper floor of his house. They’d hung out plenty at his place, but Wille had never had any reason to go upstairs. Until now. 

They made their way up the stairs together, with Leo tentatively following behind. As soon as Simon opened his bedroom door, the dog walked in and started sniffing and inspecting every single corner of the room. The dog had apparently not visited it while Simon had been in the shower that morning, or maybe it was still a new enough space to him that he still got curious and excited about it.

“Cosy,” Wille commented after Simon had switched one of the bedside table lamps on, casting a soft glow into the room.

Simon only smiled a little shyly in response. It felt special to have Wille into this private space. For a second, he was back to being a teenager and having a boy over in his childhood bedroom for the first time. Though it wasn’t as nerve-racking now. It was nice to have the other here. Really nice.

They took turns getting ready for bed, sliding under the covers in their underwear a few minutes later. While it had taken Simon a while to have the effort to leave the couch and go up to his room, he was so glad he had now. It felt so good to lie down in his bed and bury his head into his pillow. The warm body next to his and the arm wrapping around his waist to pull him closer were definitely a bonus. A very nice and welcomed one. Wille was smiling at him, and Simon smiled back, leaning over to press a kiss to the other’s lips.

A few seconds later there was a small dip in the mattress towards the foot of the bed, and then Leo was settling down for the night against the back of Wille’s legs, his stuffed elephant next to him. It was only then as Simon looked at him that he remembered what had happened that afternoon, how Leo had disappeared from his backyard to Wille’s, giving him a scare. A perfect parallel to his first meeting with Wille, to the moment that had brought them here and now. 

Happy, content, and together. 

He couldn’t hold back a small laugh at the memory and the irony of the situation.

“What?” Wille asked, eyebrows adorably drawn together in confusion.

“You’ll never guess what happened earlier,” Simon said with a smile, cupping his cheek.