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Simon couldn't help but smile as he watched Wilhelm doze on his shoulder, the prince's usually perfect hair slightly mussed from their afternoon together. They were tucked away in Simon's favorite spot in the music room, hidden behind the grand piano where no one ever looked. The late autumn sun streamed through the tall windows, casting everything in a warm golden glow.
It had become their sanctuary over the past few months at Hillerska - a place where Wilhelm could just be Wille, where the weight of the crown seemed to lift from his shoulders, if only for a few precious moments.
"You're thinking too loud," Wilhelm mumbled without opening his eyes, nuzzling closer into Simon's neck.
Simon laughed softly, running his fingers through Wilhelm's hair. "Sorry. I'll try to think more quietly."
"What are you thinking about?" Wilhelm asked, finally blinking his eyes open to look up at Simon. His gaze was soft, unguarded in a way he only ever was when they were alone together.
"Just... this. Us." Simon gestured vaguely with his free hand. "How different everything is from last year. How different you are when you're here, versus when you're out there being Prince Wilhelm."
Wilhelm sat up slightly, though he kept close to Simon's side. "I'm always me. Just... different parts of me." He paused, considering. "But this is my favorite part. The part that gets to be with you."
Simon's heart did that familiar flip it always did when Wilhelm said things like that - honest and earnest and so different from the carefully diplomatic prince the rest of the world saw.
"You know," Simon said, trying to keep his voice light despite the surge of emotion in his chest, "for someone who claims to be bad with words, you can be surprisingly poetic sometimes."
Wilhelm ducked his head, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Only with you. You make it easy."
Simon couldn't resist anymore - he tilted Wilhelm's chin up and kissed him softly. Wilhelm melted into it immediately, one hand coming up to cup Simon's cheek. These quiet moments were Simon's favorite, when they could just exist together without the pressure of royal duties or school or family expectations.
When they finally pulled apart, Wilhelm was wearing that slightly dazed smile that never failed to make Simon's stomach flutter.
"We should probably head to dinner soon," Simon said reluctantly, though he made no move to get up.
Wilhelm groaned, dropping his head back to Simon's shoulder. "Five more minutes?"
"Your family's chef will be devastated if you skip another meal to hang out with me," Simon teased, though he was already wrapping his arm more securely around Wilhelm's shoulders.
"Worth it," Wilhelm mumbled. "Besides, Sara's coming over later with that new horror movie she's been talking about. We can eat then."
Simon raised an eyebrow. "The one you've been trying to avoid watching for weeks because you hate horror movies?"
"I don't hate them," Wilhelm protested weakly. "I just... prefer other genres."
"You literally hid your face in my shoulder through the entire last one we watched."
"Maybe that was my plan all along," Wilhelm said with a small smirk. "It's a very comfortable shoulder."
Simon laughed, the sound echoing slightly in the empty music room. "You're ridiculous. You don't need an excuse to cuddle, you know."
"I know," Wilhelm said softly, suddenly serious. "I just... I like having reasons to be close to you that nobody can question. Even if they're silly reasons."
Simon's heart ached at that. For all that things had gotten better, there were still so many eyes on them, so many expectations and restrictions. But they were figuring it out, day by day, moment by moment.
"Hey," Simon said, waiting until Wilhelm looked up at him. "We don't need reasons. We just need us."
Wilhelm's answering smile was like the sun breaking through clouds. "When did you get so wise?"
"Must be all that time I spend with this really smart prince I know," Simon teased. "Some of it was bound to rub off eventually."
Wilhelm laughed and pulled Simon in for another kiss, soft and sweet and perfect. When they separated, Wilhelm rested his forehead against Simon's.
"I love you," he whispered, like it was still a secret, still something precious and new even though they'd said it countless times by now.
"I love you too," Simon whispered back, just as reverently. "Even when you use horror movies as an excuse to cuddle."
"Especially then," Wilhelm said with a grin.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, Wilhelm tracing lazy patterns on Simon's palm while Simon hummed quietly, some half-formed melody that had been stuck in his head all day.
"Okay," Wilhelm finally said with a sigh, "now we can go to dinner."
Simon stood first, pulling Wilhelm up with him. As they gathered their bags and straightened their uniforms, Wilhelm caught Simon's hand one more time.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"For what?"
"For giving me a place where I can just be me. For being you. For... everything."
Simon squeezed his hand. "Always."
They shared one more quick kiss before stepping out of their sanctuary and back into the real world. But even as Wilhelm's posture straightened and his expression became more controlled, his fingers remained intertwined with Simon's.
And really, Simon thought as they walked to the dining hall together, that was all that mattered - these quiet moments, these small victories, this love they were building together, step by careful step. The rest would sort itself out eventually.
For now, he had Wilhelm's hand in his, and Wilhelm's smile just for him, and the promise of more quiet moments to come. It was more than enough. It was everything.