Work Text:
"I already told you thirty times, it's fine, Wille!" Simon half laughed on the other side of the line. He was still on a high, clearly, after his show. Wilhelm could clearly picture the dopey smile on his boyfriend's face as they were debriefing the third show of his mini-tour. This time, Wilhelm had managed to go back to his hotel room just in time to find a live stream on Instagram and stare at his marvelous, incredible boyfriend.
Simon's career was just starting, and Wilhelm didn't know anyone who deserved the success more than him. His honey-laced voice, intertwined with the music, was nothing short of divine, and if you asked Wilhelm, it was a shame the world wasn't at his feet yet. But Simon had told him, these things took time. Especially when you started from scratch, like he did, after deleting all his teenage videos to start fresh, trying to build his success over anything but the fact he had a sex tape with the former Crown Prince of Sweden.
A strategy Ayub suggested, mirroring artists like the Daft Punk: never showing his face, solely relying on his voice. That was harder to do with Simon's ballads, but soon enough the Internet was bewitched by his voice and the carefully curated aesthetics of the videos they put together with Ayub and Madison. Of course, there had been people linking Simon Vasquez - as Simon wanted to honor his mother's name rather than his father's - to Simon Eriksson, the former prince's boyfriend.
But with no proof, as no one had thought about downloading Simon's old videos, and almost no traces of said boyfriend in the media, those theories were ridiculed at best. Hell, Simon made himself and his connections to Wilhelm so scarce that the people who still checked on their ex-Crown Prince's life had assumed they were broken up, old acquaintances now, at best.
It was mostly because they didn't have access to Wilhelm's private socials. Because all his Instagram feed was Simon. Simon posted by their friends, Simon's song snippets, Simon's update accounts, and their little montages… Simon often teased him by saying he really had the biggest groupie boyfriend, and he was right.
So when Simon's manager pitched the label's idea to kickstart his international career, Wilhelm was even more excited than him. He would participate in the Iceland Airwaves festival, release a collab with a local indie band that was quite successful and right in his range, and start a mini 6-date tour around Northern Europe. Some small venues, some bigger ones, a band, an hour-and-a-half setlist, and a tightly packed schedule, with only coffee and friends to boost his energy. And his trusted fifth ever fan, as Linda, Sara, Rosh, and Ayub claimed the first spots before Wilhelm could even utter a word about it.
Or not.
Simon hadn't missed the way Wilhelm's smile slowly started to fade when he told him when that ambitious project would take place. He knew something was up the moment Wilhelm's bottom lip disappeared between his front teeth, not in a cheeky way, rather like he always did when something went wrong.
Because if Simon had a career, so did Wilhelm. He was rather successful in his endeavors, too. Using the fame and the prestige behind his name and former title, his boyfriend was now the figurehead of several non-profit organizations, raising money, and funding school programs, healthcare centers and refuges. A job that Wilhelm liked, and was good at, even if he still berated himself for every little mistake he made whenever he had a public appearance to do.
And that job sometimes called for him to travel. Conferences, summits, and other godforsaken boring things that Simon only attended once in a while to show him some support. And apparently, Simon's mini tour just happened to be at the same time as a round of conferences Wilhelm was scheduled to attend in Italy and the South of France. Far away from Scandinavia.
Wilhelm had jumped to his phone, trying to see if his schedule was really that tightly packed. If he could only have one night… But sadly, while Simon's tour had been pretty impromptu, Wilhelm's conferences had been planned for months, and no one would move things around for him to go and cheer on his boyfriend.
Wilhelm had been wallowing in desperation, while Simon took it surprisingly well. Of course, he would've loved to have his boyfriend in the crowd every time he sang, but he was optimistic these wouldn't be his only shows, and that Wilhelm had a lifetime of those to attend.
The implication that Simon was expecting them to stay together for "a lifetime" had made Wilhelm's legs buckle, and he had momentarily forgotten about his frustration to sweep Simon into their bedroom and show him exactly how he intended to love him for as long as he'd have him.
"Sorry, sorry, I'll stop complaining! But those lives are so blurry how can I enjoy your beauty in 144p?!" Wilhelm exclaimed as he was lying against the headboard of the bed in his hotel room.
Simon's airy laugh was enough to make him smile again. "You're supposed to listen, not ogle me!"
"Who says I can't do both, uh?"
"Instagram's shitty quality, apparently." He didn't know how that was possible, but Wilhelm could hear Simon roll his eyes. "Anyway, sorry baby but I need to hang up, I'm just so fucking tired."
Wilhelm hummed. Simon's past weeks have been nothing but packed with things to do, preparations for the tour, rehearsals and so on. Of course, he would be tired. But Wilhelm knew him better than that. "You're gonna crush it tomorrow, you know?"
No use to ask Simon if he was stressed: of course he was. Writing songs, singing in his room, and then in a studio, wasn't the same as performing them in front of a crowd. And tomorrow, at the Sentrum Scene in Oslo, Simon would perform in the largest venue of his tour. It was a sold-out show. It would be packed with people expecting only the best from him, and Simon was buzzing each time they talked about it.
Simon's sigh was confirmation enough that Wilhelm's intuitions were right. "I'll try my best. I always do, and it'll be more than enough." He recited, almost sounding jaded as he went through Wilhelm's usual reassurance words. "Will you be watching?"
His voice was small. As much as he pretended not to care that Wilhelm wasn't there, he still checked if Wilhelm could actually watch him in some way. The first night, Simon was up to play at 8 pm, Iceland time, so Wilhelm escaped the dinner at a reasonable time to log on, but the live stream was so bad he gave up after three songs. The second night, the show started at 7:30 pm Finland time, meaning Wilhelm wasn't even starting with the mandatory French apéro when Simon hit his first notes. Tonight's was the first one Wilhelm could watch from start to finish.
He wasn't so sure he would be able to watch tomorrow's show, but he would try, for Simon, he would. "I will." No hesitation. "I promise."
Simon sighed again, lighter this time. "Thank you. I really gotta go though. I'm catching up on our book, so you can start recording again."
Wilhelm hummed, wishing him a good night. He hung up, staring at his screen for a bit, before turning around in bed to catch the book sitting on his nightstand. He opened it and opened the voice recorder on his phone.
Simon wasn't an avid reader. He loved stories, but he found the simple act of reading to be quite boring. If anything, Simon was a podcast type of guy. Wilhelm preferred books, and sometimes, he liked to read out loud, to help himself focus on the words. Simon liked this habit of his and started to ask Wilhelm to read to him. Whenever they were away, Wilhelm would read his current book out loud, and send the recording to Simon. Or he would read on the phone, if they had the time. Wilhelm loved to see Simon fall asleep to the sound of his voice telling him stories.
So Wilhelm started on their next chapter, trying to speak clearly enough and to put emotions in the dialogs. He was only on the third page when his phone interrupted him with an incoming call. Wilhelm rolled his eyes when he saw it was his superior calling. Calling after 10 pm was criminal, and Wilhelm wasn't having it. He paused in his recording, waiting for the phone to stop buzzing. It eventually did, until a second vibration warned him he had a voice message.
Sighing loudly, Wilhelm clicked on it. To hell with work. Ficke's voice came out then, loud and unbothered, dropping a bomb on him: tomorrow's conference, the one that ended like half an hour before Simon's show, was canceled. The guy who was supposed to talk that day got the flu, and they didn't manage to find a replacement. Ficke sounded light when he announced Wilhelm had a free day.
A free day? After he begged all the gods above to give him one chance to travel back and see Simon? Now he was stuck in Nice with nothing to do but wallow about not being able to see him. Fuck.
He texted Ayub about this immediately. Ayub had been Wilhelm's eyes in this whole thing. Because while he was a dotting boyfriend, he also knew he could be a lot, and didn't want Simon to worry about having to give him news or to answer him all the time. Any question that could be answered by Ayub, Wilhelm spared Simon of. Ayub didn't mind: he was spamming Wilhelm with pictures and videos all day and night, boasting about his best friend every chance he had.
Ayub answered in approximately twenty seconds with party emojis.
Wille 🐸: why u happy??? it's the WORST
Wille 🐸: like they couldn't have told me BEFORE? idk give some notice or smth
Ayub 😎: who cares!!! u're free tomorrow!!
Wille 🐸: but in NICE
Ayub 😎: isn't there an airport in nice
Wille 🐸: … i can't be in oslo tomorrow night and back in nice the next afternoon, ayub
Ayub 😎: says who
Wille 🐸: idk, geography, the laws of physics?
Ayub 😎: [link attached] flight at 6:30, arrival before 12, both ways. there's a cheaper option with a longer layover, but ure loaded so who cares
Wille 🐸: … are u seriously suggesting i take a flight for a 24h trip, isn't that unreasonable af?
Ayub 😎: who are u and what did u do to my wille
Wille 🐸: your wille???
Ayub 😎: yes, my wille, the one who ditched a fucking crown for simon's pretty ass
Ayub had a point. Wille was quite impulsive. And he couldn't lie, the temptation was strong. He was a few clicks away from Simon. Maybe Simon would be angry he spent so much money to see him. Maybe Simon would berate him for his carbon print. But Wille was weak, and he didn't even have to take his credit card out to type in the numbers he already knew.
Wille 🐸: [image attached: flight reservation screenshot]
Wille 🐸: u're right, can't resist that ass
"Did you find a live stream?" Simon asked, readjusting his in-ear for the third time already. He could hear the audience buzzing with anticipation on the other side of the stage, people singing along to the playlist the venue put up during the downtime between the opener - a Norwegian guy who sang some chill pop music - and his show. But his thoughts rather went to his boyfriend, whom he pictured lying down on his bed with his phone awkwardly propped up, ready to watch him.
"Several, and I sent them all to Wille, chill out, will ya?" Ayub answered, barely looking up from his phone. Simon couldn't help but pout slightly. Ayub had been on his phone a lot today. He was no stranger to the fact that Wille was taking some news and info from him to avoid overwhelming Simon, but today felt like he did a lot of texting.
"Everything alright?" He asked, trying to peer at the screen subtly. Not subtly enough though, because Ayub immediately pocketed it. "Yeah, just checking something with my mom, she had a pipe problem yesterday. Did you think about my suggestion?"
Simon nodded, before chancing a glance at the open stage. "Are you sure it's a good idea? I'm not sure people will like it… It's maybe too personal?"
"Simme, all your songs are personal. They'll eat it up!"
"I should save it for the last show…" Simon muttered. He was really unsure about that new song, that he didn't even have a title for yet. It was a raw, emotional retelling of what had felt like one the most heart-wrenching moments of his teenage life. His break up with Wille.
Simon had used that sorrow at the time, putting it into Wille's song that he gifted him on his birthday. But Simon was sixteen at the time, and the words… They didn't encapsulate things well. He didn't tell Wille about that particular song, almost ashamed of exposing his pain like that. He knew Wille would love it. He would, and Simon still hoped that Wille would miraculously appear in Stockholm for the closing show, as his conferences were ending shortly before. It would be a very close call, and Simon knew there was no way this could happen unless a miracle happened, but still. Wille had a knack for impulsive decisions, and Simon was almost expecting him to drop his meeting with the Swedish ambassador in Italy. He was insane like that.
"You're going to want to play it anyway." Ayub shrugged, smiling widely. "The energy is good tonight, I feel it."
"Oh shut up, you're starting to sound like Maddie."
They both giggled and promptly tried to present a more serious front when Maddie did show up to urge Simon on stage, belting orders left and right as if she were his manager. Simon listened to her, though, and took a deep breath before stepping on stage.
Hidden in the darkness that blanketed the now silent room, Simon stood up on his mark, counting in his head. Breathing in, and out, he gave himself ten seconds to start singing. As soon as his voice filled the room, the instruments followed suit, the lights went on, and he forgot about everything else.
He forgot about the pressure of those hundreds of eyes on him. He forgot about the incessant questioning that came with belting heartfelt lyrics to a new audience. He forgot about his insecurities surrounding the few dance moves they made him add to the more upbeat songs. He forgot about all that, because all that mattered was the music.
The music and the way it flowed through him, all around him. The music, the lyrics sung right back at him. The music, and the meaning behind each one of these songs he worked so hard on. The music, and the comfort it always brought him, a comfort he now shared with more than 1600 people.
He flowed through each song with ease, sometimes stopping to talk a bit to a very receptive audience. He saw the flashes of their cellphones, the way all those lenses were focused on him, and he imagined one of them was the lens through which Wille, his dear Wille, was looking at him.
He poured his heart out, singing about love, pain, the struggles he went through, the happiness he found, and the nostalgia of cherished childhood memories. He whispered some of the heavier lyrics into the microphone, he sang others as loudly as he could.
Taking a short water break, he giggled at one of the signs begging him to sing "Boy Will Be Frogs", a song that he didn't want to put into the setlist. That song had started with a silly banter between him and Wille. Wille and his stupidly endearing interest in frogs. It was too them to be shared live.
" I feel stupid, ugly, pretend it doesn't bother me.
I'm not very strong, but I'll fuck you up if you're mean to frogs. "
He hummed, teasingly, showing that fan he acknowledged them, but he announced a whole different song. "You Touched My Heart" was one of his most emotionally charged ones. An ode to love, that started as yet another cheesy love song, but ended up being the one . The first one he posted that blew up.The one that stuck with everyone. A fan favorite. One that made his close ones tear up. One that Wille begged him never to get rid of.
So he placed it in the second part of his setlist, right before the encore and its more cheeky, flirty songs. Simon placed the microphone on its stand, standing behind it, holding it like a lifeline as the guitar played softly behind him. Lyrics flew, he could see the teary eyes of those in the front row. It warmed his heart, how he could make people feel things, with just his words, his voice.
He closed his eyes. In his mind, Wille was in that front row, leaning on the barrier, one of the only ones without a phone in hand because he's one of those people that never record shit, that live the moment. He pictured his eyes crinkling at the corners with how wide his smile would be. He pictured him mouthing the lyrics he knew by heart.
Suddenly, something shifted. Simon thought he misheard it. His in-ears muffled the sounds of the audience a bit, and for a second, he thought he'd heard some screams.
Screams weren't a common occurrence during that specific song. People usually kept quiet, singing along at most. So Simon opened his eyes.
He didn't dream. People were screaming. Excitedly screaming, pointing at the stage. More phones were up, and Simon almost stopped singing to look around for the source of that sudden excitement.
But before he could turn around, he felt someone come behind him. Before he could react, strong arms came to circle his waist, pulling him into a hesitant hug, hands barely touching him, as if they didn't want to startle Simon.
Simon wasn't startled. Surprised, yes. But the moment he felt those hands on him, the moment that familiar scent, a mix of musky cologne and almond shampoo and something inherently him, hit his nose, Simon knew.
He didn't even need to look up. Wille was here, hugging him from behind, his nose lovingly tracing the line of his cheek. He was here, his heat enveloping Simon like a warm blanket. He was here, and Simon's heart swelled.
"Sing, baby," Wille whispered in his ear, rocking him a bit with the rhythm of the music still playing behind them.
Right, he was on stage. He was performing. He was singing. Giggling a bit, he brought the microphone back to his lips.
" And when you came into my life, I changed.
You touched, you touched my heart.
I dare to face anything. "
Only he could hear Wille hum the lyrics. Only he could feel his chest press against his back. Only he could know how much it meant for Wille to hear him sing those particular lines.
Around them, the screams, and the cheers, mixed with people singing along, all felt muffled. As if they came from another room, another timeline, another point in space, far away from their bubble.
Emboldened, his cheeks hurting with how wide his smile was, Simon brought the mic a little higher, inviting Wille to sing the last lines of the song with him. Their voices united for the final words of adoration Simon had written.
" You touched, you touched my heart,
and fortunately, and fortunately
I found you here. "
The music died down, but Simon barely registered it, letting himself be embraced by his boyfriend's warmth. He finally turned around to have a look at him. Bathed in the low orange light they chose for that song, Wille looked simply ethereal. And all Simon could see in his eyes was the very same devotion he felt in his own chest.
Oh, he wanted to kiss him so badly.
But Wille knew better than to pull such a stunt. He simply smiled, his wide, toothy, boyish grin that sent Simon right back to the first ones he sent his way when they were only sixteen.
"So proud of you!" He whispered, squeezing him one last time before letting go, fleeing the stage with a light wave to the crowd.
Simon stood there, looking at his retreating figure, not able to contain the little giggles that bubbled in his chest. Wille was insane.
"So, that happened." He breathed into his microphone, returning to his show with shaky legs. Wille was there. Wille was watching. Wille showed his undying support very publicly, exposing himself to the eyes of thousands, just to make Simon's little show even more special.
Oh fuck he loved him so much.
"Shall we continue?" He asked the crowd, grabbing the stand to put it away, as the next scheduled song required him to move a little more.
But he stopped when his fingers closed around the stand.
You're going to want to play it anyway!
That motherfucker.
Simon turned around to Ayub, behind his electronic keyboard. His best friend never looked smugger than at this moment. He wiggled his eyebrows, confirming what Simon already knew: he was behind this. Mouthing a "fuck you", Simon gave a little nudge with his chin, not needing to say more for Ayub to start whispering to the other band members.
"Actually, since it's apparently the night for surprises, I may have something new for you guys." He announced in his microphone. "Hope you're in for a little song I finished like a week ago. Don't know if I'll release it, you tell me." He winked at nobody in particular, making the audience holler in glee.
Ayub played the first notes, soon joined by the guitar, and Simon took a deep breath. Waiting for his cue, he scanned the room, trying to find where his stupid boyfriend was. Surely he had taken his seat back by now. Considering he probably planned to surprise him, it was useless to look in the first rows, so his eyes drifted to the balcony. Yes, on the far right corner. He was there, leaning on the railing, his cheeky smile wide.
Simon started to sing. " Well, maybe I'm a crook for stealing your heart away… "
Fearing Wille's reaction, Simon kept stealing glances at him. He kept looking up at that balcony. Singing about his pain when he had to leave him. When he had to end everything because they were both hurting too much. Because they were breaking each other, crumbling under all that happened around them.
" And those bright brown eyes,
can only meet mine across a room
filled with people that are less important than you. "
Staring at Wille during those particular lines was not the most subtle thing Simon had ever done, but he did it. He wished he could see his face more clearly, the micro-expressions betraying his feelings. Because if Wille had been trained in the arts of presenting a neutral front, Simon could still read him like an open book.
His voice came out hoarser than usual during the chorus. Singing about how Wille loved him, how he knew he loved him, but Simon couldn't afford to love him back anymore… This was a lot, emotionally, and he felt his throat close. He used the few seconds of the pause between the chorus and the next verse to take a deep breath.
" The way you held me so tight,
all through the night
'til it was near morning… "
The way Wille looked at him with pure, unabashed love that first morning… It was, and it would be for a long time, Simon's dearest memory of him. Nothing had happened to them. They were simply them. Two happy, giggly teenagers, basking in each other's presence.
They did have a lot of other mornings, and Simon was oh so thankful for each and every one of them. But the first one was special. He hoped Wille understood what he was hinting at with those lines, what he was talking about.
The audience wasn't privy to Simon's deepest thoughts, but detaching his eyes from Wille to look at the crowd, he saw that it didn't matter. They looked positively entranced. No one sang back to him, not until he reached the third chorus. It was an easy one, easy enough for the whole room to sing with him, and Simon knew he would cherish that memory too.
Ending the song with a little more instrumental, Simon let the emotions wash over him. Applause and cheers erupted from seemingly everywhere, and he felt tears pool behind his eyes. He gave himself a few seconds to bask in the moment, smiling widely at that audience that showered him with so much love, smiling widely at the man who inspired him every day and every night.
Speaking of nights. Simon bowed deeply to his audience, waving his arms in a mockery of a curtsy. Grabbing the microphone, he asked the audience if they were tired of him yet. The resounding no was his band's cue to start the encore.
Wille had complained about that encore just the night before. He had whined about how it was unfair for him to sing those flirty songs while he couldn't get his hands on him. Well, he was in the room tonight, wasn't he?
Simon wasn't a cheeky performer. The only ones who got to see him whoring it out while singing were his friends, at karaoké, in a very non-serious way. Curiously, Simon never thought about trying to rile Wille up with a song, and a dance. Tonight, he tried. A few buttons of his baby blue shirt flew off with every " I've been saving this for you, baby ".
He didn't miss the way Wille's mouth hung open. He swirled around, enjoying the rhythm of his second song. A giggle escaped him, and he caught Ayub's mad grin. Oh, that didn't discourage him from swaying his hips to the " I wanna touch you but you're too far away " line. A line he had to repeat several times, locking eyes with Wille for the greater part of them. Daring, even, to point right at him.
But the nail in the coffin, Simon knew it, was the last one. If the lyrics weren't explicit enough, Simon wanted to add a little move, just for Wille. A move that would send his man right into his bed, if he hadn't managed that just yet.
Slotting the microphone back on the stand, Simon raised his arms right above his head, crossing his wrists like he did that night at the karaoké, when he was dared to sing Juno . He had improvised that silly move for the fuzzy pink handcuffs line, and Wille had choked on his drink, spitting it through his nose and making them all lose it. He'd confessed to Simon later that night that yes, he'd very much love to try that out.
And tonight, in front of a full audience, Simon locked his wrists up, his shirt coming half undone, revealing his bare shoulder, and swayed his hips in the slow, slow rhythm of his " Do you dance like you fuck, or do you dance like you make love ".
He hoped someone out there was recording Wille's reaction. Because he could barely see him behind his half-closed lids. He knew he had his little effect, and not only on Wille. His ego got boosted tonight.
Ending with his heartfelt closing song felt a bit weird after all these sexually charged ones, but he still went for it, closing the show with reverence. He called his band upfront, embracing each one of them before they bowed to the crowd, waving and laughing in glee under the cheers and the whistles.
And amongst them, standing tall and yelling as loudly as the others, Wille clapped excitedly. He blew him a kiss, making him visibly giggle, and made his exit, leaving the stage, happier than ever. Because tonight, Simon Eriksson climbed on cloud nine, and he knew, oh he knew, that it wouldn't be the last time.