Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Absolutely, it’s a treat for me to relax with friends over the weekend. I think everyone needs that cozy spot to hang out in so we can destress.”

That’s it. It’s two sentences that Wilhelm has to say in front of the cameras with a light shining on him, the boom mic hovering a foot above his head, and a crew of 10 people standing around the set, watching him speak.

He just has to say his lines to his best friend Felice, promoting her new café and patisserie. She’s been working on it for years, having graduated from pastry chef school. It’s her baby. Wilhelm can do this for her.

Two. Sentences.

He chokes up midway through the first.

It’s worse than that. He’s sitting stiffly, like the chair might break if he moves. The mug of cappuccino is on the verge of cracking in his shaking hands. The mere smell of coffee is sending his heart into overdrive.

“CUT!” Madison calls, and Wille almost spills the beverage.

The outdoor café comes alive as the crew runs about and fixes things for a retake. Two people from make-up rush to the others sitting at tables around them, touching up their looks.

Wille is thoroughly embarrassed.

“Wille,” Felice sighs. “It’s okay.”

He feels as though she’s sighed more times today than in the past few years.

“Felli, I’m so sorry,” he apologizes, trembling as he sets the mug down on its coaster.

“I shouldn’t have pushed,” Felice says sadly.

“No, I want to do it,” he says earnestly. “I want to do this for you.”

“I know,” she says, patting his knee. “Maddie, can we use the first take?”

“It’s too stiff,” Madison says apologetically, and Wilhelm deflates.

They ran through five takes, and he’d only gotten worse with every delivery. Wille hoped the nerves had left him a long time ago. It was one of the many reasons he’d left the throne to August. August can stand in front of a crowd of thousands and deliver a perfect compliment to Felice’s new business. And he’s her frickin’ ex!

Wille rubs the back of his neck, wiping the cold sweat off his tingling skin. The camera setup had been too nauseating for him to relax in.

It’s a sorry situation. He’s surrounded by professionals who work hard every day of their lives, and he can’t even say two sentences without cracking.

What’s worse is that Felice originally had a much longer speech for him to say as part of a casual conversation that would have gotten edited into a wonderful advertisement for her patisserie. He remembers the words now. If someone asks him to write it down, he can get all 20 sentences down, no fuss.

“ADR?” Felice is asking Madison.

“Doable, but not the best idea,” she says.

Wille admits defeat. “Felli, you might want just to get an actual actor for this.”

Felice pouts. “I wanted to show real people for the shoot.”

“We can have real people,” Madison assures her. “Look, Sara’s still my first choice. Or we can have Stella, though she might embellish a lot, and Fredrika will definitely go off-script, which is fine in general, but not for our shoot.”

“Sara’s good,” Felice agrees.

Wille apologizes again.

“You can still be in the shot,” Felice says, standing up with him. “You and Sara can switch places.”

“Sure,” he says readily, privately glad to be out of the spotlight and happy that Felice isn’t too put down.

Sara isn’t an actor per se, but she and her scene partner applied directly for the advertisement, not through Madison’s agency. Felice knows her from school, and Wilhelm thinks he does remember this woman, though not well. His memories of Hillerska tend to be all over the place.

He smiles at her as she greets, “Hi. I’m Sara.”

“Wilhelm,” he says, shaking her hand.

“Are the lines really tough?”

“No,” Wille admits. “I’m just bad at this.”

“It’s fine, Wille,” Felice says again. “You can sit with Simon. Sara, let’s practice the full conversation first.”

Sara takes Wille’s script, and he moves away and approaches the side table where Sara’s partner, presumably boyfriend, is waiting under the umbrella.

He looks up from his prop book and smiles.

Oh.

Oh no.

Wille has another problem now.

This man is gorgeous.

✿☆✧◇•◇✧☆✿

“Quiet on set!” Madison announces. The crew takes their places, and a hush falls on everyone.

“Sound rolling! Camera speeding! And… action!”

Wille exhales. He and Simon (this man’s name is also beautiful) are in the background of the shot, so they should be chatting quietly with friendly body language.

“We can talk about the book,” Simon suggests, nodding at the prop in front of him. They both have mugs of water that are pretending to be hot chocolate, though they’re not meant to drink. The drinks have gone cold anyway.

“Sure,” Wille says quietly.

Simon watches him carefully, smiling. It’s that quirk of his lips while his eyebrows dig close to his shining eyes. “Nervous?”

Wille nods, playing it off with a chuckle. “What gave it away?”

“Eh,” Simon says, grinning. He picks up his mug like he’s about to take a sip. Wille watches him press his lips to the porcelain rim, tilt the mug a bit, and then set the mug down. He licks his lips, and Wille’s eyes are fixed on the shiny gloss.

“So, are you an actor?” Wille asks, impressed with the ease with which Simon performed the action.

“Not really,” Simon says. “Sara took a videography class for her credits in college, and I was her subject a few times.”

Wille’s brought down to earth with that comment. “Oh… you went to the same college?”

“Gothenburg Uni,” Simon explains. “Graduated together two years ago.”

Crap, they have a history.

“What did you study?” Wille asks, ignoring the pang in his chest.

“Fine arts in music with emphasis on classical piano training,” Simon recites with the air of having to answer that question several times. “Sara did Cinema Studies. Loves her Ingmar Bergman movies.”

“Amazing,” Wille compliments him, skipping over Sara entirely. “Do you enjoy piano work?”

Simon pauses. Wille wonders if he’s being too forward, but Simon says, “Not many people ask me that, you know?”

“About pianos?”

“No, about enjoying it,” Simon clarifies, surprised. “No one generally asks if studying in college is enjoyable like this.”

“Maybe you’re downplaying it,” Wille tells him. “People do enjoy college more than school. And most people choose to study things they really like. So, do you like playing the piano? Or are you in the unfortunate minority of having to uphold the family expectations of piano playing?”

Simon giggles. Wille feels like he’s accomplished a lifetime award. Simon’s laugh is light and airy, unbroken and gentle in the way a feather drifts along a breeze.

Wille can’t believe how much the sound lifts him. He absolutely adores it.

“For a second, I forgot who I was talking to,” Simon admits.

Wille fidgets. For a second, Wille forgot everything else too.

“Sorry,” Simon says. “Of course you’d know all about upholding family expectations.”

“Would I?” Wille hedges. “I swerved wildly away against expectations.”

Simon grins. “And did you enjoy that?”

Wille laughs. He remembers in time to keep it low. Hopefully, the mic hasn’t picked it up.

Even as he thinks about the present, the sounds of the studio setup filter back into their little bubble on command.

“Wow,” he says.

“What?”

“I just remembered why we’re here,” Wille stage-whispers.

Felice’s voice is audible as she says her lines, possibly on take five of something. Sara responds, turning her body and nodding at the right times. She’s speaking more lines than Wille had. Irrationally, he hopes she messes up so they can all be here longer and Wille has more time with Simon.

Simon smiles over to her before turning back. “She’s great, isn’t she?”

Wille can hear Sara converse naturally, perhaps smiling too widely. But Maddie doesn’t interrupt the take, so it must have been a direction.

“Yes,” Wille mutters. “How long have you known her?”

Simon quirks an eyebrow. “All my life. It’s the excuse she used to drag me here, if I’m being honest.”

Great. Wille’s pining over a childhood-friends-turned-to-lovers arc is kind of guy.

“I begged Felice to let me in here,” Wille admits. “I wanted to help so badly. Turns out, I can’t even say two lines.”

“It’s harder than it looks,” Simon assures him.

“I used to be able to hold speeches,” Wille says quietly. “Granted, they were awful, but I still managed them. But I can’t do it for Felice, and I don’t even know why…”

Simon watches him, curious.

“Sorry,” Wille squeezes his eyes shut to recalibrate. “I didn’t mean to offload on you.”

“Did you like any of your princely speeches?” Simon wonders instead.

“Not really.”

“There you go. Your brain thinks of line delivery and goes nope-nope-nope. You can work on it, but it takes time,” Simon says.

Wille is absolutely floored. Felice has said the same thing enough times, but he was convinced she was just being nice. Simon just met him today and has the same advice.

“Wow,” he mumbles. “I didn’t expect to get life advice while… what are we even doing?”

Simon smirks. “We’re working, Wille. Quiet on set.”

Wille places a finger on his lips. Simon’s eyes move down before darting back up.

Is… Simon interested? Wille has no clue how this has happened. He didn’t think he’d get this far! Simon and Sara seemed so tight-knit at the beginning. But now, the way is Simon staring at Wille…

Jeez. Listen to Wille pretend he has game enough to woo a guy away from his long-term girlfriend.

‘I’m not this kind of a person,’ he thinks, dismally. ‘Maybe I should…’

“I suppose this is not just talk,” Wille says quietly.

Simon’s playfulness vanishes. “I don’t follow?”

“I didn’t think I had a type,” Wille confides. “But you’re ticking all my boxes, Simon.”

“Damn,” Simon mumbles.

“It’s not a line,” Wille says, now staring at the table, the props of the mugs of cold coffee and the book. “We just established I’m horrible at following scripts. I swear I don’t do this. I never… talk like this with people. Especially people I just met. Especially people who aren’t single. It’s so easy to be open and forward with you. I’m sorry, Simon… we can talk about this book. It’s just a prop, but…”

Wille falters.

Simon is quiet.

Wille peeks up.

Simon’s face melts into pure confusion. Then it changes to a brief loading screen, which is also possibly his resting face. Then his eyes gleam. His face splits into a wide smile. His chest shakes with tightly concealed laughter. He presses his lips together tightly, working hard to stay still.

Wille stares. He thinks there’s something he misspoke or misunderstood.

Simon finally gets his mirth under control. He breathes out carefully and relaxes his shoulders.

“Wille,” Simon whispers, unable to remove the smile from his face. “I’m single.”

Huh?

Wille doesn’t dare move. “But she… isn’t Sara your…”

Simon holds back the laughter. “Sara is my sister. Also, I’m gayer than a maypole.”

Wille’s moods switch like traffic lights, eyes staring blankly into space.

Not friends-turned-lovers.

Siblings.

Sara and Simon.

SIBLINGS.

“Ah,” he mumbles. “And you’re also a fan of a certain tricolor rainbow movie?”

Simon tilts his head, amused. “For someone bad at delivery, you’re full of lines, aren’t you?”

Wille struggles to stay calm. Chill. Composed. He’s literally on camera, albeit in the background. People will recognize he’s that Wilhelm, and they’ll notice if he makes any sudden or grand moves.

Simon shakes his head. “Wille, you’re not making this easy for me. Were you flirting with me, thinking I was a taken man?”

“No! No…”

Simon leans onto the table again, teeth pressing into his lower lip. Wille’s eyes are drawn to the motion.

“It seems to me like you were,” Simon hums.

Wille winces. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t… trying to make a move on you. I just wanted to have a nice conversation with you before you moved on, and I never saw you again.”

Simon grins. “Bold.”

“I’ve been told that before.”

“Huh. So. If I were to look past that…”

Wille sits up like he’s been electrified. With the way Simon is now openly dragging his eyes over Wille’s face and down his chest, he might as well be.

“How would you fare with a second chance?” Simon asks lightly as though the question doesn’t make Wille’s world implode.

“I do great! With… with second chances,” Wille says, stumbling over his words.

Simon’s eyes gleam. “Smooth.”

“I am,” Wille insists. He exhales and leans his forearms on the table. “From the first moment, I thought you were the most handsome person I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Simon blinks. Wille loves the surprise. It makes Simon’s curls quiver.

“I almost tripped walking over here,” Wille admits. “I thought… oh wow, this man might ruin me and I’d let him.”

Simon’s mouth opens. Soundless air comes out.

Wille smirks. “Cat got your tongue? I promise you, I have much better ideas of what you can do with your mouth.”

Simon snaps his jaw shut. He sits back in his chair, and Wille is worried he’s taken things too far.

“I… did not expect it to go that way,” Simon says.

He’s smiling, a little incredulous. Wille relaxes.

“It doesn’t have to,” he says. “I just meant kissing you.”

“Just,” Simon teases.

“No… I’d love to kiss you,” Wille says frankly.

Simon’s dark eyes glint in the light of the evening sun. The sight takes Wille’s breath away.

“What’re you doing after this?” Simon asks.

“Er… I suppose having dinner with Felice. Or if she’s too busy, I might just go home. Unless,” Wille adds, ardent and hopeful, “do you want to keep practicing lines?”

Simon grins. “Among other things.”

Wille laughs.

This time, it is caught on the mic. Maddie is yelling “Cut!” again, Wille is apologizing again, and Felice is sighing again.

✿☆✧◇•◇✧☆✿

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