Chapter Text
It happens in Simon’s first semester at Uppsala Universitet for his Musicology course.
Group projects are their own horror tales. Simon has scrolled through enough Reddit stories and YouTube channels of narrators reading out Reddit stories to know the worst case scenarios.
But he isn’t facing the usual problem, ergo, a lazy team relies on one or two people to spoon-feed information to them.
No, Simon’s four teammates all seem capable of carrying their weight for their Musicology project on historical figures from the European Union.
Emil is an exchange student from Norway, eager to get into the Swedish metal genre scene. Lilly comes from the suburbs of Stockholm, her mother being a rather famous composer who has even worked on the background scores of a few local TV shows. Kasper is a native Uppsala boy, hailing from a law background, having quit in his fourth semester and rejoined the university for the arts. Ida is from London, although she was born in Stockholm and left before starting gymnasiet.
They are in the course because they want to be here, studying music and its hundreds of details to get to where they want to go. They’re as passionate as Simon and are eager to know how he is able to book studio slots so early when many students have to wait a few months.
(The answer to that is that a certain boyfriend happens to be the ex-Crown Prince and still has a lot of sway with bureaucracy.)
Simon remained vague and nattered something about getting lucky with someone dropping out just as he applied for the slot.
The point is--Emil, Lilly, Kasper, and Ida are great people to work with. The five of them pitched in to draft their project’s outline and divide the work equally.
The horrifying part of this horror story happens when Simon leaves the table to head for the bathroom. They’re bundled up in the large sharing space in Ida’s dorm building. The bathrooms are regularly busy since many people use it during the days with no classes.
Simon is lucky that he is able to slip in and out in record time. He’s headed back when he hears the words, “... swear he has the same hair. I told you so! It’s totally him! He has the same name as the kid from the video!”
The video.
The words activate him like a sleeper agent. Simon freezes by the wall. He hears Kasper’s voice drifting from around the corner, scoffing about Simon and Wille and that godforsaken video.
“This is crazy,” Ida huffs. “Who even cares? It’s been like years!”
“I’m just saying, I haven’t seen the prince. So are they broken up or what?” Kasper says flippantly.
Oh god, they are talking about that video.
“Nah, everyone knows Wilhelm’s at Stockholm uni,” Lilly argues. “I remember my Mama being so excited about the headlines.”
“Headlines?” Emil says skeptically. “Is the news in Sweden so boring that the ex-prince attending college is a headliner?”
“Oh, yeah. He abdicated. I forgot.”
“How can you forget a thing like that?” Kasper laughs. “It was all over the news last year. No more Wilhelmdagen! Prince turns gay! Back-up prince looks like a douche!”
Lilly giggles. “Does he?”
“He doesn’t look gay, that’s for sure,” Kasper says, his voice turning sour. “I like Simon and all. But out of everyone to fuck, why’d he have to do the prince?”
“Don’t be rude,” Ida admonishes. “Simon’s perfectly nice and it’s not his fault the video’s even out there.”
“If it wasn’t for the video, we’d never have known the prince was fruity,” Lilly remarks. “And it’s kinda telling. You remember what Wilhelm did, yeah?”
Ida scoffs. “How am I supposed to remember a thing from four years ago?”
“You watched the video?” Emil asks.
“Everyone’s watched the video,” Lilly says.
“You wanna see it?” Kasper asks.
And Simon… is stuck there. Between the wall and the bathroom door. Listening to this.
Emil’s voice is lower. “They look really young. Yeah, I don’t wanna see this shit. Can we get back to the project?”
“He doesn’t even have chest hair,” Kasper hums. “You think he shaves it?”
“He was 16,” Ida says. “Emil’s right. It’s weird talking about it.”
“He’s interested in singing and performing,” Lilly says thoughtfully. “Probably shaves, for sure.”
They say nothing else. Keys click on the laptop. Pens move across the page. Simon heads back into the bathroom and locks himself in a stall.
“They said what?” Wille bursts, horrified.
“Don’t make me repeat it,” Simon mumbles.
They’d promised. No more secrets between each other. It was a hard decision, but the weekend after that conversation, Simon simply can’t take it. He videocalls Wille and spills everything he heard.
“Kasper said the worst of it,” Simon recalls in a hollow tone, reclining in his desk chair. He’s lucky to have a considerate roommate who sticks to the schedule. Herman never reaches the dorms before five, giving Simon ample time to practice his singing without bothering anyone.
“Lilly added to it,” Simon says. “I think Ida was less involved. Emil tried to shut it down.”
“Then Emil can stay.”
Simon blinks. “Hmm?”
“If Karter, Lila, and Edith don’t have anything better to do than gossip about unsolicited porn, they don’t need to be at uni, do they?”
Simon smiles. He knows Wille isn’t really joking. He’d really pull strings to get them kicked out.
“I don’t want it to get to that,” Simon says. “I just wanted to tell you. We promised to tell each other everything.”
“We did,” Wille says, nodding. His eyes soften. “I’m proud of you, Simon.”
Simon offers a half-smile. “Yeah. Thanks. Are things okay for you?”
“No one’s said anything to my face,” Wille shrugs. “People will always talk behind my back. I just ignore it. And knowing Joakim is with me is always helpful… say, that’s it!”
“What’s it?”
“When do you have to submit the project?”
“In… three weeks,” Simon says, checking his desk calendar. “It’s going to be an awful three weeks. I don’t know how I’m going to sit with them and hope they don’t bring it up. I thought Kasper was great until he spouted that shit.”
“I don’t want you alone with them,” Wille says darkly. “I’m going to call in a favor from Malin.”
Simon frowns. “For what?”
“To keep you safe while you’re with them,” Wille says easily. “She owes me! And I’ll pay her, obviously. No tax-payers’ stuff, promise!”
Simon blinks a few times before the meaning sinks in. He sits up in his chair. “You’re asking Malin to guard me instead of August? For three weeks?”
“She’s not really guarding him,” Wille waves his hand. “She coordinates with his detail. I won’t be able to get anyone else on short notice anyway. And you know Malin.”
Simon wants to refuse out of principle. But to be honest… he needs to buckle down and spend several hours meeting these people and discussing their project. He has to be able to focus and not worry the whole time that they’ll bring up the video and ask him point blank if he shaves his chest.
His hands tremble as he places the phone on the desk, leaning it against one of his thick-spined books. Wille leans closer to the screen, waiting.
“I miss you,” Simon says instead, letting a small smile grow.
Wille smiles softly. “I miss you too. I’ll drive up next weekend, love. Promise.”
“I have to take you out to the Danish diner,” Simon says.
“Perfect. So? Simon? About Malin?”
Simon feels that old sentiment of not needing anyone to protect him. It creeps up his spine, coldly berating him for being so helpless.
But he turns back to Wille who watches him with big brown eyes and chapped lips that his teeth dig into as he waits for Simon to answer.
“Yes,” Simon exhales. “For three weeks. If she can make it. I’d… I’d like that.”
Wille beams. “You’re amazing, baby. I love you.”
Warmth chases away the old creeping thoughts. Simon smiles.
“I love you too. Thanks, Wille.”