Chapter Text
“The first rowing competition of the season is this Saturday,” Coach Midgard said to the troupe of sweaty teenage boys after the rowing practice Monday night. Wilhelm just thanked his lucky stars that coach wasn’t one to dither on forever, unlike some of the other Hilerska teachers. He’d let them go soon enough. Thank god for that. Wilhelm needed a shower and a nap almost as much as he needed to punch August in the face for his absolutely ridiculous and grueling training schedule.
“Although Hilerska doesn’t require rowing team members to have completed a swim test, I found out yesterday that apparently this year proof of a completed red cross sanctioned swim test will be required for all competitors if they want to enter the competition.”
The boys all burst into conversation at once, concerned murmurs mingling with outraged huffs and dark mutterings.
“Luckily,” the couch shouted over the din, and the boys quieted, “luckily I managed to get us a slot booked at the public pool in Bjärstad this coming Friday. All the staff there are qualified to administer and sign off the swim test, and two guards have agreed to work late in order to accommodate us. Test starts promptly at 8:15, and the bus is leaving from here at 7:45 on the dot. Don’t be late and don’t miss the bus- this is a mandatory event, because if you don’t get signed off on the swim test you won’t be allowed to compete this season. I’m sorry I had to take your Friday night, but it was the only time I could get us pool time, so that’s just the way the cookie crumbled this time.”
“Any questions?” The coach asked, looking around at the assembled boys, who all shook their heads. “No? Alright, then hit the showers, good work tonight.”
The boys ambled off, grumbling starting as soon as the coach was out of earshot.
“This is fucking stupid.” Henry complained, his best friend Walter nodding in agreement at his side, “I mean, I already know how to swim, and I love rowing but I had plans this Friday.”
“Me too.” Nisse nodded, “I can’t believe they’re making us do a swim test. We’re not fucking seven year olds- we’re grown ass men. And as if humiliating us wasn’t enough, it’s in Bjärstad .”
He said Bjärstad like it was some sort of awful fungus growing on a three month old sandwich instead of a quaint town close to the boarding school. Personally Wilhelm didn’t see what the problem was. Not that he’d ever been to Bjärstad other than when he quickly drove through it when Erik first dropped him off at Hilerska, but it seemed like a nice enough place.
He knew better than to voice that opinion though, especially when his teammates were exhausted, pissed off, and on the warpath.
“I think it’s disgraceful,” August piped up, and Wilhelm rolled his eyes. God, his cousin was insufferable at the best of times, and after an abnormally difficult practice Wille’s patience for his cousin’s entitled antics had already worn quite thin. “I tried to convince coach to let us hire a private instructor here- y’know someone with proper qualifications- but there simply wasn’t enough time before the competition this Sunday to find someone suitable.”
“Great,” Vinden- one of August’s minions- grumbled, “the examiner will either be an old lady, or a kid our age.”
“What d’you mean?” Wilhelm asked curiously.
Vinden’s eyes widened- he was unused to being addressed directly by the prince. That was by design- Wilhelm couldn’t stand any of August’s cronies, and actively avoided them as much as possible, even though it was nearly impossible at times (he was convinced August had somehow planted a tracking device on him, since he always seemed to know exactly where Wille was, even when he was trying to hide.)
“Well- it’s a public rec centre in a small town. Anyone can take a lifeguarding course as soon as they turn 16, and most pools pay higher than min wage so teenagers make good money working there.”
A fresh wave of complaints followed Vinden’s admission.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“I am not letting some dumb Bjarstad hick judge how well I can swim!”
“I forgot it was at the rec centre. Fuck .”
“I swear to god if they fail me…”
The grumbling continued all the way to the change rooms. Wilhelm barely managed to conceal his annoyance, and he wasn’t entirely sure that Henry didn’t catch sight of more than one of his eye rolls. Honestly though, he figured it was justified. His teammates were acting so childish , their blatant entitlement showing. It was stupid , the way they were all so concerned about the swim test just because it happened to be happening at a public pool, as if they thought they were better than anyone who took advantage of community sport programs. Which, Wilhelm reminded himself, they probably did.
Wilhelm changed quickly and kept his mouth shut, doing his best to ignore his teammates bellyaching. They might be personally affronted by this, but Wilhelm was excited. Taking a swim test at a public pool was what normal kids did, what most high school teams were required to do since public schools couldn’t afford to hire private instructors the way Hilerska so often did. Wille was just looking forward to just feeling normal for once.
********************
Dinner on Friday night was a tense affair. The rowing team being mercilessly teased by the boys who weren’t going to the rec centre and snapping back ruthlessly. For once, Wilhelm was glad he was supposed to appear genial and impartial at all times- it gave him an excuse not to join in on all the arguing. By the time dinner was finished Nisse looked about ready to wring Quinden’s neck, August had thoroughly cussed out Ivan (badly enough and loudly enough that the housemaster had intervened), and four other rowing team members had challenged half the third year boys to a fight that would take place beside the lake at the next party in order to keep it far away from where any teacher might see and intervene.
Wilhelm rubbed his eyes. He already had a headache and they hadn’t even boarded the bus to go to the rec centre yet.
Soon enough, 7:45 rolled around and the rowing team trooped out to the coach bus, grumbling. Wilhelm managed to get a seat for himself, curling up with his bag beside him, and pretending that the lavish coach bus was just a simple yellow school bus, the kind he’d never been allowed to ride but secretly always wanted to.
August’s unmistakable drawl echoed from the front of the bus as he talked coach Midgard’s ear off about the upcoming opening race of the season. Wilhelm tried his best to tune him out. Sometimes he felt bad about how much he honestly couldn’t stand his cousin, but August was just so entitled, needlessly cruel, and so hopelessly un self aware. It was impossible not to hate him just a little bit.
It was a short ride to the outskirts of Bjärstad, only about fifteen minutes. Wille pressed his nose against the window, watching as they passed a group of teenagers laughing outside a theatre, and a lone couple exchanging a kiss on the patio of a small diner.
He tried to tamp down his jealousy. It was ridiculous, being jealous of strangers, strangers who likely didn’t have the same privileges that he did. Still, it was difficult. He longed for what they had, the simple, beautiful, normal lives they lived, lives that weren’t shadowed by a legacy, by eons of responsibilities. Lives that only the people who mattered cared about, that weren’t followed by an entire nation.
The rec center in Bjärstad was a large building built from hewn grey bricks and housed two arenas and a twenty five meter pool. Outside, a group of children shrieked and giggled, heavily invested in a game of grounders on the play structure beside the parking lot; A pair of teenage girls were competeing on the rails and ramps of the skatepark located just beside the play structure, while two dog owners chatted nearby while their puppies frolicked and played. All in all it seemed like a lively community hub, a place of fun and recreation for everyone, regardless of household or upbringing.
Naturally, the majority of the rowing team let out a chorus of protests as soon as they pulled into the parking lot.
“That’s enough lads,” coach Midgard boomed from the front, “you don’t have to like this place but you do have to respect it and the people in it. Remember- the lifeguards here are doing us a favor, staying late so they can run this test for us. I dare say they’ve got things they’d rather be doing on a Friday night.”
Wilhelm’s respect for the coach grew. Midgard was a former Olympian rower, a three time gold medalist, which was how he had secured his spot as head coach at Hilerska; however, Wilhelm knew the coach came from humble beginnings. He’d mentioned offhandedly once that he had family in Bjärstad. Wilhelm wondered if he’d spent time at this very rec centre when he was first starting out as a rower, if he’d worked out maybe in a gym here, or if he’d started as a swimmer until he found rowing and decided he liked it more.
They traipsed into the lobby that was already packed with another large group of obnoxious teenage boys with hockey bags slung their shoulders. He could see the entrance to an arena where another hockey team (presumably Bjarstad’s home team) was already warming up, gliding smoothly across the ice, sticks in hand.
Coach Midgard spoke quietly with the woman at the front desk before motioning the rowing team to follow him. He led them past the hockey boys, who watched them curiously, down a short hallway and into a (thankfully deserted) locker room. Gray tiles covered the floor, with four rows of lockers interspersed with wooden benches. It was a nice room, Wille thought appreciatively as he changed quickly into his swim trunks, shoving his shirt and the rest of his stuff into one of the lockers and shutting the door.
Once all the boys had changed they followed the coach through the showers and out onto the pool deck, a warm gust of air hitting them as soon as they stepped through the doorway.
Inside the pool area was frighteningly loud, and for a second the chaos of it was slightly overwhelming. A curly haired girl in a red lifeguard shirt made her way over to them, smiling widely.
“Hilerska rowing team, right?” She asked.
August nodded, his face twisted in distaste.“Yes, that's us.”
“Perfect. So, you guys are a little early, but that’s fine you guys can just hang out here for a bit. Lessons are on right now, but as soon as they’re done you guys will be working with our guards Rosh and Simon.”
“How long are we going to have to wait for?” Nisse whined. Honest to god whined . Wilhelm tried to subtly edge away from him. Maybe, if he got far enough away the nice guard lady wouldn’t think he was with this group of assholes.
The girl’s eyes flashed, but her smile remained in place albeit being a bit more forced.
“Lessons end in fifteen minutes, then Simon and Rosh have ten minutes to get changed and then your test will start.”
“Will you be testing us as well?” Vincent asked, his voice high and nasally. Unlike Nisse he wasn’t whining. Instead he looked the pretty lifeguard up and down, his gaze almost predatory.
“No.” The girl’s eyes widened, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her hair nervously.
“Where are you going then?”
“None of your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
She turned on her heel and walked over to the guard chair, climbing to the top, and shooting one final wary glance in Vincent’s direction.
“Three, two, one! Go!” A shout rang out, loud enough to be heard above the general echoey cacophony of the rest of the pool area.
Wille turned his attention to the pool just in time to watch three preteens dive into the pool and start swimming like their lives depended on it. Their teacher, a teenage girl with glossy dark hair woven into a no nonsense braid, seemed intense.
“…better Kalvin, Samuel remember what we were working on, breathing to the side, not up. Samantha, now that you’ve got your breathing down I want you to work on really stretching your arms out ok?” The three pre teens nodded, red faced and exhausted looking but determined nonetheless.
“Alright! Let’s go!”
With their instructor's signal given the kids took off again, their strokes smooth and precise. Wille gulped. He could swim well enough to not drown , but he certainly couldn’t swim as elegant as that .
He absent mindedly gnawed on his thumb for a while, distracted watching the girl run her swimming class. Once they were done developing their front crawl they moved on to back crawl, then breaststroke, and they were just starting to practice diving, when Wilhelm became distracted by the most heavenly sound he’d ever heard.
“…the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round, the wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town!”
A beautiful, melodious, tenor rose above the sound of the dark haired girl’s encouraging yells. It didn’t matter that the song that was being sung was a children’s nursery rhyme- the words didn’t matter. What mattered was the honey in the voice of the singer, the joy infused in the simple tune. For the first time since entering the room, Wille glanced over at the other side of the pool. His vision tunneled.
The most beautiful boy he’d ever seen was standing there in the shallow end, playing and singing with a group of preschoolers who were giggling and shrieking delightedly. A mess of damp curls flopped across the boy’s forehead, brown eyes sparkling and a grin stretched across his face as he sang. As Wilhelm watched, the boy lifted a blonde haired toddler in the air, tossing her up and catching her as the little girl giggled. Wilhelm tried very hard not to focus on the way the muscles in the boy’s arms flexed as he lifted the girl effortlessly. A second later he forgot it entirely when the boy stood up to his full height, displaying his toned chest, rivulets of water sluicing down his tan skin and lightly defined abs. Wilhelm’s mouth went dry.
He’d had… thoughts before, slight feelings that had given him an inkling that he wasn’t the way he was supposed to be, the way his mother would want him to be, but they’d been easy enough to tamp down and ignore. Now, after one looked at this inhumanly good looking boy and his angelic singing voice, the realization that he was definitely not straight was like a slap in the face. It was impossible to ignore. He wanted this boy, wanted him in a way he’d never wanted anyone else, wanted him more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life .
Fuck .
He felt blood rushing south to a place that was bad enough when he was wearing khakis and embarrassingly obvious when he was in nothing but his swim suit. He hurriedly tore his gaze away, trying to think very unsexy thoughts, willing his rapidly growing problem to go away . It only half worked.
The next fifteen minutes were agony. Wilhelm tried and failed to keep his eyes off Lifeguard Boy by focusing on the girl running drills with the preteens, and actively avoiding talking to his teammates. His success only lasted until the lessons ended, and he was treated to the mouthwatering sight of the curly haired boy effortlessly hauling himself out of the pool with his strong arms. Wilhelm watched as the boy grabbed a towel from a nearby bench, laughing fondly as one of the toddlers from his class latched onto his leg, hugging him tightly. It was a sight almost too cute to stand, watching the boy swing the little girl onto his hip, curls dripping as he told her something that made her laugh before handing her off to her waiting mother.
Wilhelm had never thought much about his future before, but he was sure that that boy was going to be fuelling his daydreams for months . He’d never wanted to meet someone so badly in his life .
The curly haired boy toweled off, muscles flexing as he did so, rendering all Wilhelm’s progress in, er cooling down completely useless. Wilhelm caught a glimpse of dark hair disappearing into the waistband of Lifeguard Boy’s shorts, and tried to subtly move his hand in front of his crotch. God this was so embarrassing.
Thankfully, the boy pulled a lifeguard shirt on a second later, finally covering up his glowing bronze skin. Wille sighed in relief, beating back the horny part of his brain that wanted the boy to keep his shirt off and maybe lose a few other articles of clothing as well. In a flurry of activity the majority of the people on the pool deck cleared out, young couples taking their precious toddlers to get dried off and preteens shoving each other as they stumbled into the change rooms, giggly and exhausted.
Soon, the rowing team were all that was left on deck except the three lifeguards. The blonde girl who’d greeted them earlier climbed down from the guard chair, walked swiftly past the rowing team and had a muttered conference with Lifeguard Boy and the dark haired girl. Wilhelm couldn’t hear what she was saying but it wasn’t hard to figure out based on the distasteful looks she threw towards the rowing team and didn’t bother trying to hide. Be careful. They’re a bad group.
As he watched, the dark haired girl’s expression darkened and she squared her shoulders determinedly, while the curly haired boy clenched his jaw. Seeing the way it sharpened his already sinfully sharp jawline did nothing to Wille. Absolutely nothing. (Nothing except make it nearly impossible not to drool. Seriously, no one should be allowed to look so hot. It wasn’t fair . Wilhelm’s poor, newly discovered, queer heart could not handle it. )
“Alright, Hilerska rowing team,” the dark haired girl said, marching over to the group, Hot Lifeguard Boy at her side, “My name is Rosh , and this is Simon. We’ll be running your swim test today.”
“Now, we realize we’re probably the same age as you guys, but we’re also way more qualified than you, which means you do have to listen to us.” Simon put in, “We’re running this test and we determine whether it’s safe for you guys to be on and around water. We’re certified by the Red Cross, and we take our responsibilities and our jobs very seriously, which means we will fail you if we have to.”
“We also understand,” Rosh continued, disdain dripping into her tone, “that you boys are rather used to being able to buy your way out of trouble. I’m here to tell you that that won’t fly here. You have to abide by all facility rules and regulations, and while you’re doing the test what Simon and I say goes. If you don’t listen to us or if you disrespect the rules of the center we can and will have you removed from the premises and you will not pass your swim test. Everyone understand?”
Grumbling broke out amongst the rowing team, but Rosh raised one unimpressed eyebrow and everyone begrudgingly nodded in agreement. Wilhelm nodded vigorously- clearly his initial assessment of the dark haired girl was correct. Rosh was not someone to mess with.
Vincent’s voice rose just above the sound of everyone else’s whispering, quiet enough that he could pretend he was being innocuous but loud enough that it was impossible for the girl not to hear him, saying something so dirty that Wilhelm’s cheeks reddened just from hearing it. Familiar shame curled in his stomach at being a part of this team, representing a part of this group of the most vile boys he’d ever met in his life.
Rosh stiffened and Simon’s hands clenched into fists. He looked about ready to throttle Vincent. Wordlessly Rosh raised a hand to stop him, fixing Vincent with the coldest eyes Wilhelm had ever seen, calm hatred twisting her features.
“You don’t scare me. Now get out.”
Vincent grinned, clearly enjoying himself despite Rosh’s chilly glare and Simon’s furious look.
“Sorry babe, what was that?”
Rosh’s glare darkened, if possible, even further.
“I said get out. That comment was disgusting and inappropriate and was absolutely sexual harassment which is illegal as well as a violation of the rec centre’s code of conduct. So get out. You won’t be performing the swim test today.”
Vincent’s moth hung open.
“ What? ”
“Leave. Now. Before I call security and this gets a whole lot more embarassing for you.”
“Vincent!” The coach interjected, fury in his tone, “you heard the woman. Go wait on the bus. I’ll be speaking to your parents about this later, make no mistake.”
When Vincent made no move to leave, the coach frog marched him from the room, offering Rosh an apology over his shoulder. The rowing team watched them go in shocked silence.
“Right,” Rosh said, as soon as they were out of sight, “anyone else have anything they want to say? Because I’d absolutely love to hear it. I’ll kick you all out if I have to. Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you get to walk around treating everyone like shit. Now, are you ready to swim?”
The rowing team nodded, eyes still wide with shock. Even August looked cowed.
“Ok,” Simon spoke up, and Wilhelm’s stomach swooped at the sight of him. He could feel his cheeks flaming, and fervently hoped no one could tell how flustered he was. “So, the regular Red Cross swim test only involves a 50 meter swim and a few other minor skills tests, but since you guys are competing in open water your swim test has a significantly longer distance, as well as skills.”
“You’re doing the distance swim first.” Rosh continued, “it’s four hundred meters- that’s sixteen lengths. We’ll need your names before you start, and you’ll go on my signal. It’s not timed, but you have to complete the full distance without stopping. Any stroke or kick is acceptable and there’s no time limit but don’t bother trying to cheat- Simon and I will be counting laps for you guys so you don’t accidentally ‘lose track’.”
“Form two lines so we can get your names and assign you a lane.” Simon directed. Wilhelm tried not to be too obvious as he scrambled to push his way into the line in front of Simon. He had to meet him.
He fiddled with his fringe, trying to smooth his messy hair into some semblance of order, and looked down at his own, slightly squishy stomach, wishing he looked as good as Simon did without a shirt on. He wasn’t bad looking, but he wasn’t half as good looking as Simon .
A second later he found himself staring into the most beautiful golden brown eyes he’d ever seen, admiring the way Simon’s feathery eyelashes brushed against his sharp cheekbones and the way his lips looked perfectly plush and full-
“Name?” A brusque voice asked. With a jolt Wilhelm realized it had come from the angel in front of him.
“I-uh-“
“Nevermind.” The boy’s voice, filled with disgust, interrupted him before he could say anything. His eyes lit with recognition. “I know who you are. You’re the prince . ” He inclined his head in a mocking bow.
“I’m not- I mean- uh- I just- um, Wille.”
“What?”
“I’m just- uh, my name is Wille. I mean, it’s Wilhelm but uh, I go by Wille. If you don’t mind.”
“Right.” Some of the animosity drained out of the boy’s eyes to be replaced with amusement. “Alright, sure. Wille. The prince of Sweden.”
Wilhelm winced. “Please don’t-“
“Sorry.” The curly haired boy said, seeming to have realized he’d struck a nerve.
“It’s ok.”
“OI! Wille!” August hollered from where he was already waiting in the pool, “Hurry the fuck up talking to that commoner and get over here.”
Wille cringed.
“Please,” he whispered frantically to the beautiful lifeguard boy, “don’t put me in his lane. Please .”
The spark of amusement in Simon’s eyes spread, causing a smile to stretch across his face. Wilhelm couldn’t help but feel immensely satisfied knowing he was the one that put it there. (So maybe Simon was laughing at him more than he was laughing with him, but hey, Wilhelm would take what he could get.)
“Lane two.” Simon decided, still smiling. God he was so pretty. “Good luck- Wille.”
Wilhelm grinned, sending one last bashful smile over his shoulder as he walked to the lane that was almost as far away from August as possible.
“Wille over here!” August looked more annoyed than Wille had ever seen him.
“Sorry,” Wille told him, grinning smugly , “I’m supposed to go to lane two.”
“Just ignore the guards. They’re not the boss of you.”
The implication was clear. You’re the prince. You can do what you want.
Wilhelm ignored him as he made his way over to the second lane and jumped in, relishing the feeling of the cool water against his skin.
When he surfaced he was treated to the sight of Simon making some sort of note on his clipboard, tongue poking out between his teeth as he frowned in concentration. It might have been the most adorable thing he’d ever seen.
Then (because his horrible caveman brain had apparently been activated with the realization of his sexuality) his eyes trailed down the rest of Simon’s body, taking in his lean but muscular arms, and appreciating the way his swim trunks clung to his legs and… other areas rather well. In his defense, it would be nearly impossible for anyone not to ogle Simon. He looked especially good from this angle.
The curly haired boy’s gaze landed on him and he winked, a particularly roguish grin lighting up his features. Wilhelm blushed and dropped his gaze, embarrassed to have been caught staring. (In his defense it was practically impossible not to.)
A few minutes later Wilhelm's cheeks were glowing for an entirely different reason. It turned out that swimming four hundred meters without a warmup wa kind of a cardio nightmare. Wille liked to think he was in pretty good shape, but August’s rowing practices often focused more on building muscle than cardio workouts and Wilhelm was starting to feel it. He was only halfway done and he felt like he was going to die. He rolled onto his back and started kicking, not even bothering to pull with his arms. Luckily he didn’t seem to be the only one struggling. Henry beside him was doing fine, but Nisse had resorted to a slow breadtroke and Walter had practically given up, doing an attempt at a swim that half sidestroke and half doggy paddle. August too seemed to be struggling, having resorted to a slow, unsteady backstroke.
Well this is attractive, Wilhelm thought bitterly as he started his twelfth length, I’ll look fucking irresistible to Simon, gasping for breath and red as a cherry.
Ten minutes later he lurched to a stop and immediately buried his face in his hands, breathing heavily. Surprisingly he was one of the first boys finished.
“13:43.”
“What?”
“That was your time. For the 400.”
“Oh,” Wille gasped, “is that…good?”
“You didn’t have a time limit.”
“Come on.” Wilhelm gave him a disbelieving look. “We both know that’s bullshit. Is it good or not?”
“Well,” Simon’s eyes glittered with mirth, “I can swim it in less than ten.”
Hot, Wilhelm’s brain supplied.
“That just sounds like you're bragging.” He said instead.
Simon snickered. “You asked.”
“I asked if 13:43 was a good time, I didn’t ask how long it took you. Obviously someone who looks like you could swim it stupidly fast.”
“Someone who looks like me? What’s that supposed to mean?” Simon’s face darkened.
“Nothing! I mean- I- you- I just meant- you’re super good looking and- I mean- you’re a lifeguard so you probably workout and you definitely look like you could swim like 5km without breaking a sweat and-“
The anger on his face had evaporated and Simon was laughing. Wille cut himself off, blushing furiously, wondering how much more humiliation he could take.
“I’m gonna stop talking now.”
“I’m guessing you don’t write all those fancy speeches you give on TV do you?”
“No,” Wille sighed, “I definitely don’t.”
Simon smirked. “Thought so.”
“I-I’m sorry, I don’t-“
“Simon!” Rosh snapped, “Quit flirting with rich kids and record the fucking swim times.”
Simon didn’t bother arguing with her, just flipped her off lazily and made a note on his clipboard, leaning back slightly in his seat.
Hot .
Wille forced himself to look away. The last thing he needed was his problem from earlier to make a reappearance.
Wait! Did she just say flirting ? Was Simon flirting with him? Simon couldn’t be flirting with him …could he?”
He didn’t get a chance to ponder it much longer because August and Walter had finally dragged themselves to the wall, breathing heavily. As soon as Rosh recorded their times she was directing everyone to hop out of the pool and form two lines. At this point the boys were too tired to argue.
“Ok, the next part of the swim test is disorienting entries.” Simon explained, “the first one is a forward roll. This is not a flip-“
Before he could finish August launched himself off the side of the pool into a front flip.
“HEY!” Simon and Rosh’s voices sounded at the same time, identically furious. “YOU! OUT!”
Glaring hatefully August wrenched himself out of the pool.
“Go sit over there.”
“What?”
“Go sit against the wall.” Rosh repeated, “You’re sitting out.”
“ What ?”
“We just told you not to flip into the pool. I don’t understand what’s so hard to understand about that.” She turned to face the group at large, her annoyance having finally given way to anger, “I’m getting really sick of the lot of you complaining and acting like you’re better than us. Do you think we want to be here catering to a bunch of rich assholes on a Friday night? News flash- we don’t! So I’d appreciate it if you would all check your attitudes and just listen to what we tell you so we can all get out of here, which- trust me- we all want.”
“Yeah.” Simon agreed, “and just for the record we’re not making you do all this stuff because we think it’s funny or whatever. There’s a list of stuff we’re legally required to do before you guys can leave so just-“ he heaved an exhausted sigh scrubbing a hand over his face. Wilhelm wanted to smooth the disgruntled wrinkle out of his forehead and kiss the frown off his lips. “-please, please just get this done so we can all go home.”
A slightly ashamed silence fell over the rowing team. Wilhelm had never wanted to disappear more- and that was saying something considering how disastrous Easter dinner at the palace was last year.
“Now,” Rosh continued, “as Simon was saying earlier, you’re doing a front roll into the pool- not a flip.” She broke off to glare at August before continuing, “So form two lines, crouch down, use your arms to protect your head, and roll- don’t flip- into the pool.”
It was a much subdued rowing team that started doing front rolls, then falling sideways sideways into the pool, then linking arms and falling in backwards- all manner of awkward, embarrassing ways to tumble into the water. Objectively Wilhelm knew why they were doing it, getting used to finding their bearings and kicking to the surface when they were underwater. That didn’t make it any less embarrassing. The fact remained- there was absolutely no way to look suave when squatting down and falling sideways into the water. Not that he really had any chance with Simon, Wilhelm reminded himself, but it would be nice not to make an absolute fool of himself in front of him.
Rosh and Simon directed them through a few more activities before heaving twin exhausted sighs and telling everyone they could go. The coach shook both guards hands and thanked them profusely, while the rowing team shuffled out casting them either apologetic looks or their trademark disgust depending on how chastised they felt. Wilhelm hung back, pretending to be adjusting the ties on his swim trunks.
Rosh cast him one final derisive look before trooping off towards a door labeled ‘Staff Only’. Simon huffed out a (very cute) sigh and grabbed a mop and bucket from a maintenance closet.
“Uh,” Wilhelm started, fidgeting with his fringe. Simon didn’t seem to hear him. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Hi? Simon?”
“Oh!” The curly haired boy spun around, “Prince- I mean, uh, Wille. Hi?”
The slightest flush showed on his cheeks, which gave Wilhelm the courage to keep going. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who felt a little out of his depth.
“I just- I wanted to apologize for August and Vincent and, well, the entire team. I’m really sorry. They’re huge assholes and I know they weren’t fair to you or Rosh and I really do appreciate what you guys did for us. And you- uh-you-“ He lost his train of thought when Simon raised his arm to run a hand bashfully through his hair and his shirt rode up, giving Wilhelm a glimpse of his toned chest…
“You…what?”
“Uh,” Wilhelm was still thoroughly distracted by Simon’s gorgeous physique. He tore his eyes away with difficulty. “I-um, I just- thank you. And I’m sorry because of my team, and you’re really hot, and-“ he cut himself off, cheeks flaming- “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say that. I-uh-“
“Wille,” Simon smiled sweetly, amusement shining in his eyes, “it’s ok. Thank you for your apology but it isn’t necessary. You didn’t make those guys be assholes.”
“I should’ve said something.” He mumbled, cheeks burning in shame.”
“Nah,” Simon disagreed, “their behavior is their own responsibility, nothing you said would be able to change it. Besides, something tells me you’ve got enough responsibilities to worry about without babysitting your entire rowing team, huh princeling?”
“Yeah.” Wille breathed.
Unbelievably hot, kind, and smart? How was Wille supposed to recover from this, let alone hold a conversation with this magnificent boy. He might spontaneously combust if he was faced with that smile and those eyelashes for another second .
Before either of them could say anything else, the coach appeared, calling for Wilhelm to hurry up since the bus would be leaving soon.
“I, uh, I guess I gotta go.” Even he could hear how reluctant he sounded, “It was really nice meeting you.”
“You too.” Simon agreed. “I guess I’ll see you around?”
“Yeah.” Wilhelm smiled. “Definitely. See you around.”
He would. He’d make sure of it.