Chapter Text
Wilhelm clenches his fingers together to control his fidgeting and tries to disappear into the heavy stage curtain he’s lurking behind. He’d hoped to escape notice, but he hadn’t counted on there being quite so many people backstage. It makes sense that a concert of this magnitude would require a slew of people behind the scenes, but the sheer number of them is astonishing. He scans the area again and some of the tension bleeds from his shoulders when he realizes everyone is preoccupied with their jobs and no one is paying him any attention. All the activity is making it easier for him to go undetected in the dimness of the backstage area.
The roar of the crowd beyond the stage is deafening. Simon has just finished singing a boisterous song that had everyone dancing and singing along, and the applause and shouting is so loud Wilhelm can feel the vibration of it in his body. It echoes the pounding of his heart, which hasn’t yet slowed from the panicked gallop it began as he and Malin conducted their Mission Impossible-worthy escape from the palace using actual disguises and hidden passages.
Despite the circumstances, the subterfuge thrilled him—it felt like being a kid again, playing hide and seek with Erik and trespassing in places not meant for him. He hopes he gets the chance to tell Simon about it someday, maybe even show him the passages in person. He imagines the way Simon’s face would light up at the idea of exploring them and smiles to himself.
With a bit of luck, no one at the palace will miss him until it’s too late.
Simon says something to the crowd that winds them up even further and Wilhelm risks stepping forward enough to see him. He can’t resist trying to get a glimpse of the man he loves doing something that brings joy to so many people.
Malin clears her throat in warning, startling him. She’s been so still and quiet that he’d forgotten she was even there. He gives her an abashed smile and nods to show he understands her warning. He will not expose himself. Not yet, anyway.
He turns his attention back to the man who is the sole focus of the thousands of people in this stadium and, undoubtedly, of an even larger number watching the live event from their homes. Wilhelm can’t imagine ever feeling at ease in front of the world, but Simon is in his element. He strides around the stage, exuding confidence and grinning at the audience in a way that makes them grin back, excited to be here in this moment with him. It’s both thrilling and disconcerting to see all these people openly adoring the man he loves. He’s proud of him, happy to stand outside the spotlight and worship him along with everyone else, but he’s also fighting a possessiveness that has him wanting to march out on the stage and claim Simon as his in front of all of them.
He isn’t, though. He isn’t his. And he might never be again.
The first few notes of the next song rise above the cheers and the crowd goes wild again. It’s obviously a popular and recognizable song based on their response. Wilhelm, of course, has never heard it before. Or at least, he doesn’t remember hearing it before. He likes it immediately, though, and nods along to the beat, a wide smile creasing his cheeks.
Simon bounces across the stage, playful and captivating, face lit with joy. Every head swivels to follow him. Every eye is locked on him. He’s dressed all in white and he would look angelic if he didn’t also look like sex incarnate. Snowy denim hugs his lean legs and cups his ass in a way that heats Wilhelm’s blood and sets it flowing. He stares until his own pants feel too tight and he has to force his gaze away.
But raising his eyes to take in the rest of what Simon is wearing makes matters worse. His brown skin glows beneath the sheer fabric of a shirt that sparkles with what looks like embroidered olive branches or vines. Simon’s nipples are clearly visible beneath it and Wilhelm is struck by a sudden sense memory of how it felt to fasten his mouth to one of them, the way it pebbled into a hard nub under his tongue while Simon shook with desire.
He squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his fists against the wave of aching want washing through him. He melts back behind the curtain again and keeps his eyes closed as he breathes and works to slow his heart and calm his body. He falls into something like a meditative state, fully focused on the rise and fall of his chest, on quenching the fire raging in him.
“… a special surprise tonight…”
Wilhelm registers the words a moment before the crowd roars. His eyes fly open and his heart bursts into a gallop again. All the work he’s done to calm himself is immediately undone. Simon continues speaking, but Wilhelm doesn’t hear any of it over the pounding of his heart.
When Simon turns to look for him in the wings, Wilhelm’s body responds without his permission, stepping into the edge of the light so Simon can see him. Their eyes lock and hold, the moment stretching. Simon raises his brows, silently asking if Wilhelm still wants to do this, and when Wilhelm nods, Simon holds an arm out toward him and shouts into the microphone. “Please welcome to the stage your Crown Prince!”