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Remind me, is regicide still illegal?
What’s the usual jail time on that?
Erik stared at his phone, blinking down at the texts he’d just received. He narrowed his eyes, as if the letters might change around if he blurred his own vision a bit.
Or is regicide still only considered killing the king or queen? Cuz I’m not gonna do that.
So me killing your brother would probably just be considered homicide then.
What’s the usual jail time on homicide?
Erik ran a hand down his face, stopping to rub at his eyes for a moment. Did he even want to know what this all was about?
Surely, he did not.
He could, in fact, go his entire lifetime without needing to know why on earth he was receiving these texts. Unfortunately for him, he’d chosen long, long ago- from the first moment he entered the hospital room and saw baby Wilhelm wrapped up in a soft blue blanket- that he was going to be a good big brother. And therefore, he favored the act of keeping his brother, well, alive.
Erik let out a sigh, pushing away the important documents sitting on his desk in front of him that really needed to be finished approximately now, and instead pressed the call button on his phone, raising the device to his ear.
As soon as the phone connected, Erik asked, “What happened, Simon?”
His voice was far gentler than he felt at the moment.
Apparently part of being a good big brother also meant adopting Wilhelm’s boyfriend as another brother figure in his life.
And who was he kidding, he loved Simon dearly.
“You’re brother’s an asshole, that’s what happened,” Simon’s voice came through on the other side of the line, sounding harsh.
Erik blinked, “Well. Alright, then.”
Simon huffed, and Erik could hear him shuffling around a little bit.
“We got into an argument.”
“Ah,” Erik let out, resisting the urge to sigh again.
“Yeah.”
“What was the argument about?” Erik asked, though once again, he was sure he’d be better off not knowing at all.
“We were walking from class, and he just- Ugh! I mean honestly, I can’t even believe he would just- I told him- He was just being so- Ugh! Did you know your brother is obsessed with just being right all the damn time? Is that some spoiled rich kid thing? I swear, this whole school- But of course I was the one who was making a scene when he’s the one who started it in the first place! How does that even make sense? But god forbid I offer to talk about it like civilized people in his dorm. Oh no, that’s just stupid. I mean, he was just so- And I’m fucking pissed at him.”
Erik opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to decide whether or not it was worth it to mention that in his angered rant, Simon had managed to repeatedly skip over finishing the sentences that would give Erik any clue to what the argument had actually been about. If he did, he couldn’t be quite sure Simon wasn’t about to get mad at him. If he didn’t, he would continue to be absolutely lost about what on earth was happening right now.
“Now I don’t even know what to do. I’m sitting in my bedroom, and I- We were supposed to go on a date tonight. Obviously that’s not happening. God, I’m just so mad at him, Erik. I’ve never been mad at him before, not really.”
Erik hummed, "And you can't just try talking with him again?"
Simon scoffed into the phone, "After what he said? Come on, Erik, you're smarter than that."
He really wasn't.
Well, maybe he would be if Simon took a moment to remember that as well as Erik knew him at this point, he still didn't possess the ability to read the younger boy's mind.
"Right, well, as someone who has had plenty of experience being angry with my brother, I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine."
Simon let out a long groan, "That's different- you two grew up together. Wille and I have never had a fight before!"
"Which makes it all the more likely you'll be back to normal in no time. I think you both just need to take some time to cool off, hm? And no homicide, please. I do prefer my little brother whole and breathing."
Simon was silent for a beat before Erik heard him huff like Erik had made too large of a request of him. As if Simon didn't prefer Wille the exact same way.
"Fine. But he's still an asshole."
Erik rolled his eyes, "Yes, I'm sure he is. Listen, Simon, I have some documents sitting in front of me that could really use my approval and signature. I'll talk to you later, alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, of course. Thanks for listening, Erik."
Erik let out a hum of acknowledgement before the both of them hung up the phone. Erik shook his head as he set his phone down, briefly pinching the bridge of his nose. He had no more information than he'd had at the start of the conversation, and he was still in the same boat as when he'd received Simon's texts.
He really didn't much want to know what all this was about.
They'd figure it out, he was sure. Of course they would. Simon and Wilhelm were practically made for each other. Whatever this was would surely pass within the next day, if not the next few hours.
Hopefully his advice to Simon to just let themselves cool off for a while would be heeded, and he wouldn't have to hear about it again.
---------
It was the next day when Wille called him. That in itself wasn't unusual, of course, but it was the middle of the day, and if Erik's memory served him, his little brother should be surrounded by his friends and Simon at lunch.
The line was silent for a few moments, and then Erik heard a grumble, followed by a crash, then a series of expletives.
Erik sighed.
"Wilhelm," he dragged out, sing-songy. "Not that I don't enjoy listening to the sounds of you dropping heavy things on yourself, but shouldn't you be at lunch?"
He heard his brother scoff, "I'm not going to lunch."
Once again positive he didn't actually want to know, Erik sighed, "And may I ask why not?"
"I'm not speaking to Simon."
Erik resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall next to him, knowing that the large group of people on the other side would be able to hear it if he did. He'd stepped out of a meeting to take his brother's call when he realized it was such an unusual time for him.
"We had a fight," Wilhelm continued.
"Yes," Erik replied. "I'd heard as much."
"Did he tell you what happened?"
"Something like that. I didn't actually-"
"Well, then you know that he's the one who was in the wrong!"
Erik did not know that, and he couldn't even begin to tell his younger brother how much he truly did not know that because Wille immediately pressed on.
"He's making such a big deal out of it. I didn't even say anything about- He was just so wound up because of that stupid debate with Henry, which is an entirely different issue! And now it's like he's just dragging everyone into it- Sara, Rosh and Ayub, you! It's fucking ridiculous!"
"And so. . . you've decided the best course of action to solve this issue is to not speak with your boyfriend?"
Wilhelm sputtered on the other end, "He started it! He's been ignoring me since last night."
Erik sighed. For all they had gone through, it was sometimes difficult for Erik to remember that Simon and Wille truly were still so young.
Then they'd do something as petty as the silent treatment.
So they were both pissed at each other, both being petty, and Erik still hadn't a single clue what they were fighting about.
"Wilhelm, you're a prince. Don't you think it may be strategic to simply be the bigger person and apologize?"
Wille was silent, and Erik idly tapped his toes as he waited.
"That is the worst advice you have ever given me. Be the bigger person? I didn't do anything! God, Erik. Truly just absolutely terrible. I'm hanging up now."
True to his word, his little brother let the phone connection die only a second later. This time, Erik gave into his urge and thanked his head against the wall, as quietly as he could. He hopes it was quiet anyway. As his forehead connected with the yellow wallpaper, he heard a choked off noise from off to his left. When he glanced that direction, he saw one of the palace guards- Helen, he believed- looking pointedly at a different spot in the room and holding herself as though she was trying to suppress laughter. Erik couldn't blame her he supposed; if positions were reversed, he too would probably laugh at the sight of the Crown Prince so exasperated over his own brother that he thumped his head against a wall.
Erik let out a deep rooted sigh, shaking his head over Wille and Simon before steeling his expression back into the Crown Prince image and re-entering his meeting.
He supposed it was likely too much to hope, but maybe this time, his advice to the couple would actually be taken.
----------
It had certainly been too much to hope.
His phone had been pretty much filled with messages from both Simon and Wille over the past 24 hours, both of them wanting to complain about something the other had done. He still hadn't a clue what the actual situation had started as, just that at this point, it seemed his brother and his boyfriend were in a competition to see who could be angry the longest. Erik had moved on to ignoring them both in the past several hours, if for no other reason than he was still the Crown Prince and extremely busy.
And now, in the little bit of time off that he had from his princely duties, all he wanted to do was have a nice afternoon with his fiancée. The two of them were sitting out in the garden, Erik with a book in one hand and his other arm around Nathalie's shoulders as she leaned back against his chest, her legs tucked under her on the padded bench. Nathalie reached up and tangled her fingers in Erik's in a way that had him able to feel her engagement ring against his skin. He smiled at the feeling, turning his head to press a kiss into her hair. Nathalie tilted her head up, smiling at him before the both turned back to their book in Erik's case and phone in Nathalie's.
Erik couldn't quite believe he'd waited so long to let himself have this. He'd been virtually in love with Nathalie since the first time they spoke to each other at Hillerska. He supposed Wille and he had that in common.
They were both hopeless romantics who believed in love at first sight, even if they'd never admit to that. Maybe it was just the universe's compensation for the lives they'd never asked for. As much as Erik welcomed the idea that he'd be King someday, as much as he was truly prepared for it, he wasn't sure he wouldn't give it up for a chance at a normal life in an instant.
At least, with the stipulation that Wille wouldn't get stuck with the crown in reaction. He teased his brother that there was no point of a backup if you didn't use it, but he also would never willingly put Wilhelm in his own shoes.
Erik felt his arm around Nathalie's shoulders lift slightly, followed by the feeling of a gentle kiss to his pointer finger. He felt his lips twitch up in a smile again. He'd never been a super affectionate person, but Nathalie was one who had always been tactile. When it was her, Erik found himself melting. He always had, from the first time she'd hugged him. It was first year at Hillerska, and they'd received a high grade on a project for which they'd been partnered. Erik had been nearly positive in that moment that Nathalie liked him as much as he liked her, but they'd spent the next two years, plus several years after graduating, dancing around each other, flirting, and once getting a little too tipsy at a party and making out with each other behind closed doors. They'd both dated other people, once or twice, but in the end, Erik knew he'd always come back to Nathalie.
The woman was like something out of his dreams; her wit could rival anyone's, and her kindness and care for humanity could warm the heart of even the most hardened of people. Erik had lost count of the number of times Nathalie had gotten Erik to sponsor a charity or attend an event for the greater good, or the number of times she had Erik bent over with cramps from laughter, or how many times he found himself completely struck at how much he loved her. It had only been right for him to finally propose to Nathalie. His parents had given him their blessing to do so long ago, even hinting a few times that he should have done it sooner.
He heard Nathalie giggle and he looked down at her to see that she'd managed to get a small spot of lipstick on his finger when she'd kissed him. Before he could say anything, he heard his fiancée let out a yelp at the same time as his phone vibrated against his leg, trapped in between his own body and Nathalie's as she leaned against him.
"Your phone has been blowing up lately," Nathalie hummed after recovering from the feeling, returning to scrolling through Instagram. "It's not August again, is it?"
Erik held back a groan at the thought of his second cousin, the man he'd once considered something akin to a brother. It didn't seem to have mattered much to him that Erik had told August to lose his number, to never contact him again.
That was after Erik had screamed at August down the phone when he'd found out what August had done to Wilhelm.
And yet August had still spent weeks now texting him, calling him, DMing him on Instagram, and seemingly everything else he could think of to try and get ahold of him. Erik hadn't read a single message or answered a single call. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he did. Erik still felt sick to his stomach every time he thought about the whole situation. August had stood outside his brother's window, filming him, and then posted it on the internet for the whole world to see.
But Erik hadn't deleted his cousin's number. He was too worried that if he did, August would switch back to bothering Wilhelm, or Simon. Even when he was annoyed with the pair of them as he was now, he'd never, ever allow that to happen. If Erik had it his way, no one would ever harm the two of them again.
Nathalie had gently tugged his arm and looked up at him, still waiting for a response as she shifted again at the feeling of his phone, which had buzzed yet again. Erik shook his head in response to her question, rolling his eyes at the now chiming sound of an app notification.
Couldn't those two get their shit together already?
At the look on his face, Nathalie hummed a sound similar to laughter.
"Ah," she nudged him again. "The younger brothers, then?"
Erik felt a warmth fill his chest every time his fiancée referred to both Wille and Simon as his brothers. It was how he felt, even though he’d never actually voiced that aloud. Nathalie could just read him like a book, and she caught it every time he gave Simon the same look, the same all-encompassing hug that he’d give to Wilhelm.
“They’re fighting,” Erik told her sourly.
At that, Nathalie let out a startled noise, sitting up to spin around so she could look at him properly, “I’m sorry- they’re what? Wilhelm and Simon are fighting?”
Erik nodded.
Nathalie let out a hmph, “About what?”
Erik let out a long suffering sigh, giving his fiancée a pained smile.
“I have no idea. Believe me, I have tried to get one of them to spit it out, but they always get derailed bitching about each other. They’ve apparently both decided that I’m the person to go to about this- I’ve just started ignoring them at this point.”
His fiancée let out a hum.
“Well, my love, you might want to actually answer Simon.”
“And why’s that?”
“He’s started texting me now,” Nathalie said, holding up her phone for him to see. Sure enough, at the top of her screen was a DM notification from the teen. Erik let his eyes fall closed, dropping his head forward until his chin was practically against his chest. He lifted his eyes just enough to read the message Simon had sent to Nathalie.
Can you please tell your stupid fiance to answer my messages I’m in crisis here
Nathalie looked to be hiding a smile as she glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, and Erik silently admitted defeat, pulling out his own cell to look over the messages from his brother’s boyfriend.
Erik
Erik I’m in crisis
Erik
Listen I know you’re the crown prince or whatever but blow off your stupid prince things and answer me.
ERIK
If you don’t answer me in the next minute, I’m texting Nathalie, I like her more than you anyway.
HA she read the message, now respond.
Erik resisted the urge to shut off his phone then and there, just to spite Simon.
What’s the matter now?
Erik responded to the texts anyway, like a good older brother would.
Fucking FINALLY
What the hell took you so long?
Oh, please forgive me for wanting to take some time away from my cell phone.
Now do you actually need something, or are you simply looking to complain?
Bitch
I’m still mad at Wille but I miss him and I don’t know what to do.
Like he’s being an asshole but he’s still my boyfriend.
Not to state the obvious here, but have you thought about simply talking to him?
I don’t want to talk to him.
Simon.
Erik, I told you what he did! Would you want to talk to him right now if you were me?
Erik couldn’t decide if it was even worth it anymore to tell Simon that he really hadn’t told him what Wille supposedly did. If he didn’t tell Simon, it might just be a continuing annoyance for Erik as they both relentlessly texted him over something he had no knowledge of. If he did tell Simon, on the other hand, it may just make matters worse and earn Erik Simon’s wrath as well.
Erik chose the easier path.
Honestly, Simon, I don’t think I’ve ever had a fight with Wilhelm that caused me to not speak to him for days at a time. It’s not often that we fight at all.
Well, help me anyway because I don’t know what to do.
Look, if you’re missing Wilhelm, then I’m sure that he’s missing you as well. Whatever issues you’re having, you two love each other and can get through it. It’s not as though you’ve broken up. Seriously, however much you don’t want to, your best solution will simply be to talk with him. Explain your side of things in a calm and sincere matter, then allow him to do the same. I’m sure that things will work out and you two will be back to your disgustingly sweet selves in no time.
Ugh, why do you have to word things so they make sense.
Fuck you and your sound advice.
Fine
FINE
I’ll talk to him.
Fantastic, glad to hear you’ve come to your senses.
Now for the love of God, stop texting me so I can spend time with Nathalie before I have obnoxious meetings this evening.
He let the phone drop from his hand with another long sigh, and Nathalie let out a quiet laugh as she retook her position leaning against him.
“Have you gotten it all sorted with him?”
“Oh, dear, I hope so. I’ve gotten him to agree to actually speak to Wilhelm, which he hasn’t done for days now.”
She shook her head, “What could those two possibly be fighting about?”
“Lord only knows. I do suppose it was bound to happen at some point- Every couple fights. I just didn’t expect this. Regardless, hopefully they can have a civil conversation and this will be the end of it.”
----------
It was not the end of it.
Wille had called him only hours later, once again fuming over something Simon had said during their “calm and sincere” conversation. Evidently, one of the boys had devolved into snapping at the other, immediately putting them both on edge, which had led into yet another argument. Erik wasn’t clear on which one of them had started it this time, either, and he had begun to realize he really didn’t care. At this point, he just wanted them to kiss and make up, regardless of who had done what when or who was at fault.
He was sure it was both of their faults, anyway. The two were practically perfect for each other in so many ways, but they were both stubborn little bastards with too much pride to admit when they were wrong. That didn’t matter much usually. It wasn’t often, from what Erik could tell, that their stubbornness clashed or reared its heads at the same time. Usually if one was stuck in his pride, the other was there to mellow him out and help him sort through the problem at hand. Both of them being stubborn at once, however?
The perfect storm for exactly what was going on right now. Two teenagers who refuse to take blame for something they entirely know they had a part in and can’t see past their anger long enough to remember that they’re blindingly in love with one another.
Idiots, the pair of them.
That perfect storm and current idiocy is exactly what led up to the phone call Erik was currently handling from his younger brother. Rather than calling in a rage like he had been over the past week, Wille had called him nearly sobbing his eyes out. AS soon as Erik had heard the tears from his brother he switched the call from audio to video. Wille had answered the request, and when the video went through, Erik had been met with the sight of his little brother huddled in the corner of his bed, wrapped in too many blankets and what looked to be Simon’s purple sweatshirt.
“He’s not going to break up with you,” Erik repeated once more.
“He might!”
“He won’t.”
“How do you know that, Erik?”
Erik resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing it would just make his brother feel worse. “Because he hates this just as much as you do.”
Wille looked a little sick at his words, “Shit, what if- What if that makes him realize that he hates me, too? Like- if he realizes that fighting like this means it isn’t worth it to stay together because what if we fight like this again and it’s just awful and we yell at each other more and he decides he really hates me-”
“Oh my god, that is never going to happen, Wilhelm.”
“How would you know, Erik? How?”
Erik took a deep breath, knowing that getting angry with this brother’s utter ridiculousness would do nothing to help Wille’s anxieties. He would need to choose his words carefully.
“Wille, listen. Simon loves you so much. I know you know that. Yes, this fight is difficult and big, but that is not going to make him break up with you, and I guarantee, it’s never going to make him decide he hates you. And before you say something about how would I know that, just think for a minute. At any point during this week, have you ever once thought that you hate Simon? Have you thought about breaking up with him?”
Wille looked appalled at the question, “No, of course I haven’t. I love him- even if he’s being an idiot.”
Erik raised an eyebrow, “So why would you think Simon is thinking anything differently? If an unwilling sextape being leaked to the entire world and hateful articles didn’t have him breaking up with you, why do you think one stupid fight is going to make him do so?”
Wille sniffled over the line, tucking himself further down into his pile of blankets and pillows. A purple sleeve covered hand popped out from the nest to swipe at the tears on his cheeks. Erik let the silence between them sit, knowing that his brother could probably use the time to think. Minutes passed with Erik setting his phone next to him on his desk, propped up so that Wilhelm could still see him while he flipped through a book. Wille stayed sniffling but otherwise quiet, the movement of him wiping his tears a few more times catching Erik’s eye every once in a while. Maybe 15 minutes had passed when Wille spoke once again.
“You’re probably right.”
Erik raised his eyebrow at the choice of “probably”, but didn’t comment on it.
“I should talk to him.”
Erik hummed.
“Without yelling this time.”
Erik gave a nod.
“I should tell him I love him. And apologize. And hug him. A lot. I miss hugging him.”
Erik flipped another page in his book, though his eyes were barely taking in the words.
“I’m going to go talk to him. Right now. I’m pretty sure he’s with Felice and Maddie in the library.”
Erik finally looked away from his book and back to his brother. “Dear god, please go talk to him. I love you both dearly, but if I have to put up with one more phone call from one or both of you about this godforsaken fight, I will drive to Hillerska and this time, I will be the one yelling.”
Wille laughed a little wetly, but nodded nonetheless. “Okay, Erik. Thank you.”
Erik hummed, “You’re welcome. Now go talk to your boyfriend.”
Wilhelm smiled, and nodded again. He waved a sleeved hand goodbye, then reached out to end the call. Erik let out a sigh, then turned back to his book.
----------
Erik hadn’t heard from Wille or Simon in two days. He hoped- prayed really- that that was a good sign. That the two of them had actually spoken to each other, sorted out their shit, and wouldn’t be bothering him anymore. At least, bothering him with this. He still wanted them to be able to come to him with their issues, insecurities, and whatever else was bothering them, even if they had another fight at some point.
But hopefully they would never talk to him about this specific thing ever again.
Even still, the fact that he hasn’t heard from the two of them in the past few days was. . . a little worrisome. After hearing from them nearly every hour of the day for a week to radio silence was strange, and unusual considering he and Wille nearly talked every day anyway, and Erik was spending just as much time thinking about his younger brothers and their stupid fight when they weren’t spamming his phone than when they were. Both his parents had given him concerned glances at his clear distraction- his mother's looks more scolding while his father's confused- while Nathalie had given him knowing and empathetic smiles.
Erik had just taken the reprimand from his mother rather than offer a proper explanation as to why he'd been so detached from reality to be absentmindedly doodling during a meeting with several members of Parliament. He wasn't quite sure how to explain to her the situation, especially not in a way that she wouldn't end up scoffing and rolling her eyes. It was true that the queen had warmed up to Simon- and Wilhelm, in so many ways- but they all knew that part of her still thought this was a silly teenage romance, and she never spoke of Simon or his relationship with Wille unless he was brought up by someone else first. Erik at times felt like cursing his mother for still pushing Wille and the things important to him to the sidelines.
Their father, on the other hand, was like a whole new man. Between the two of them, it was Ludvig who had always been a little more caring, more gentle with the boys. That is, when he had bothered to pay them any attention growing up. Erik loved his father deeply, and when he was with them, Ludvig would be 100% present, but when he wasn't. . . Well, it was easy to forget they had a father at all. But Erik could see, and he knew Wilhelm had as well, that learning his son had a boyfriend whom he loved, whom he'd introduced Erik but no one else to, had been a wake up call to all the things in his sons' lives that he'd missed. Ludvig was more likely now to do things like ask Erik for dinner with him, check in with how his sons were doing, and ask about Simon unprompted. Erik recalls the memorable occasion in which Wilhelm had called him at a near loss for words because their father had called him , out of the blue, just to ask how the week had been and if Simon was doing well.
This week, when Ludvig had turned to Erik to ask if he'd heard how Wilhelm and Simon were doing this week, Erik had just opened and shut his mouth a few times before grumbling and turning his face into Nathalie's shoulder, who was laughing at him.
If his father asked him again now, Erik wasn't sure what he'd say in response. They were fine? He thinks? Either that, or one had managed to kill the either and done such a good job of covering it up, no one had actually noticed yet.
Simon, probably.
Erik had heard about his friends, Rosh and Ayub, and Erik frankly wouldn't be surprised to hear that the three of them had been able to pull off a murder. He also wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Simon’s mother had helped them cover it up. He’d met the woman a few times now; she may seem sweet as can be on the surface, but Erik could tell that she would go to the ends of the earth for her children, and she wasn’t afraid of going after those who hurt them.
Goodness, he hoped that wasn’t the case. He really, truly did like having his younger brother alive and well.
He also desperately hoped they hadn’t done something stupid like actually break up over whatever this was. Erik wasn’t sure that wasn’t the worst case scenario.
But he wasn’t going to think about that.
He was going to take the radio silence as a good sign. A sign that they were simply too caught up in school and catching up with each other to bother calling him. It wasn’t like that was an unreasonable thought. Any time the two of them were apart for a length of time, they got. . . Well, safe to say that Erik was glad he wasn’t around them nearly 24/7 like their poor friends were.
In the end, it took another day before Erik heard from either of the troublemakers again. He’d tried his best not to let it continue distracting him, or stressing him out, but there was an undeniable sense of relief for him when he was sitting in his study, stretched out on the couch, and his phone rang with Wille’s video call request filling the screen. Erik wasted no time in answering the call, sitting up as he did so.
Wille’s face filled the screen, with his bedroom visible behind him and a sheepish look on his face.
“Hi, Erik,” Wille said, a tentative smile playing on his lips.
“Hi,” Erik responded, taking in the image in front of him. Wille seemed fine. His hair looked to be brushed, his eyes weren’t noticeably red or bloodshot, and he was wearing a nicer sweater rather than any number of the so-called “depression clothes” that his brother kept hidden away in the depths of his closet.
Even still, his brother had that sheepish look on his face, which was concerning. And he was giving Erik that smile like he’d done something wrong. And those things combined usually spelled nothing but trouble.
“Oh no,” Erik let out. “What happened?”
Wille frowned on the other end of the phone, but Erik kept speaking, “Please tell me you didn’t say something completely stupid during your talk with Simon.”
“Hey-”
Wille’s incredulous protest was cut off as he got distracted by a sound behind him. Erik watched as his brother turned, in the direction he knew his brother’s dorm room door to be, and watched as a small smile- this one not so guilty looking- took over his brother’s face. Erik felt himself ease a little bit at the sight. There was some mumbling off screen that Erik couldn’t make out, but it had Wille smiling a little wider and nodding his head.
The sound of the new voice got louder and easier to understand, until Erik could very clearly make out the words, “ Wille, what are you- Did you call him? I told you to wait for me.”
Any tension in Erik’s body completely eased away as Simon entered the camera’s line of sight, the other boy appearing over Wille’s shoulder.
“I thought you said I should call him,” Wille defended himself, and Erik took a moment to relax back into his couch and simply observe the interaction.
“Idiot,” Simon rolled his eyes, but even over the phone, Erik could hear and see how much it was dripping with affection. It seemed almost subconscious the way Simon reached out and ran his hand through Wille’s hair- which had his brother practically glowing- as he turned towards the camera.
“What’s up, Erik?” Simon said, casual as can be. Erik almost wanted to laugh.
“What’s up?” he repeated, tone dry. “That’s what you want to ask me right now?”
At his words, Wille’s sheepish look came back to his face, and Simon grew one as well. The two of them shared a look, and Simon seemed to shuffle closer to Wille from where he’d been standing behind the younger prince. Erik continued to just watch them with a slight uptick of his eyebrow as Wille scooted over on his chair, then thought better of it and simply pulled Simon down to sit on his lap. Simon gave Wille a look full of adoration that Erik may have found to be adorable if he wasn’t so focused on the fact that he’d been putting up with these two’s nonsense for as long as he had and all he got after three days of radio silence was a casual, unconcerned “What’s up?”
“Yeah. . .” Wille started off awkwardly, “So we were calling because-”
“A week,” Erik cut his little brother off. “A week! That’s how long I’ve been listening to you two bitch about each other. Four days worth of constant calls and texts, as if I’ve nothing better to do than entertain your childish pettiness at each other. My week was perfectly fine, thank you both for asking every time we talked. And then, if that wasn’t enough, I endured two days of complete silence. I couldn’t even focus on being annoyed about you dragging me into the middle of your argument because I was trying not to go out of my mind worried about the pair of you.”
While Erik’s words and tone were stern and sharp, he wasn’t really all that upset with them. The annoyance and frustration from this whole week hadn’t yet faded completely, but he wasn’t truly upset. Sitting here, looking at the two of them, together and like their normal, disgustingly mushy selves, Erik mostly just felt a sense of relief. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if the two of them had actually broken up. He was sure Wille would have been so inconsolable that Erik would’ve had to drive down there and physically pull him out of bed just to get him to eat.
The boys looked properly berated, but Erik knew Wilhelm knew him well enough to be able to read into the underlying brotherly care of his words. Simon and Wille looked at each other again, and Erik could see how, just on the bottom edge of his screen, Wille’s arms wound around Simon’s waist.
“Look, Erik, we’re really sorry,” Simon said, hand reaching up to brush away a few stray curls, which were getting longer and more in his face each day. Wille nodded in agreement with his boyfriend’s words. “It was wrong and unfair of us to pull you into our stupid fight like that, and to make you deal with it every day. We know how annoying we were about it, and that’s why we wanted to call you. And I started it by texting you, so I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” Wille smiled sheepishly. “I talked to dad, and he mentioned that you’d had a lot to do this week. And that you’d been distracted. I know I shouldn’t have just kept calling you randomly like that. And we- We just wanted to tell you thanks for listening to us and helping us anyway. We didn’t really do anything to deserve it, so. You know. We just- appreciate it. And you. Yeah.”
Simon had turned to look at Wille as he awkwardly stumbled and paused through his sentence, looking as though he was hiding laughter at Wille’s clumsy wording and silently conveying a question of “what is wrong with you right now”. Erik found himself trampling down his own grin at Wille’s fumble, knowing that even as close and willing to talk about feelings as they were, it wasn’t often they admitted affection or appreciation for each other verbally.
Erik let out a long breath, letting the two boys stew in their guilt for a minute or so before he cracked, letting out a smile and laugh with a roll of his eyes.
“That hurt you on the way out there, Wille?” he teased, watching his brother go pink and letting out a wide grin at the sight. His brother looked as though he was going to speak to his own defense, but before he got there, Erik spoke again, saying, “You are both utterly ridiculous, but I forgive you. I’m just glad you managed to work things out.”
At his forgiveness, both Simon and Wille grew smiles, tightening the hold they had on one another. Simon leaned his body back into Wille, relaxing even further when Wilhelm pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
Yep, definitely back to their sickeningly sweet, grossly in love selves.
“Us, too” Wille smiled, followed by, “And we promise not to drag you into any more arguments.”
Erik sighed at himself for his next words, “Listen, if you two ever need advice or want to complain, that’s fine. I will listen to you and try to help. But no more of whatever this past week was, agreed?”
“Agreed,” they answered simultaneously.
“And Wille?”
His brother hummed in question.
“We have spoken to each other every day since I dropped you off at Hillerska. If you ever stop talking to me for days at a time with no warning again, I swear on the crown, I will drive to Hillerska to check on you myself.”
Wille went pink again, but nodded with a smile. “Malin and Peter would tell you it was something serious, you know.”
“Peter?” Erik asked, but his question got hidden behind Simon laughing loudly.
“As if the ‘something serious’ wouldn’t be that you’d simply annoyed them into getting rid of you themselves.”
Wilhelm looked appalled at the insinuation, “Excuse me- they love me, thank you very much.”
“Wille. Babe. Did you not see Malin’s face when-”
“Boys,” Erik sighed out. “Not that this isn’t an entertaining conversation, but. . .”
They both gave him smiles, shutting up about whether or not Wille’s bodyguards would be willing and able to kill him. If the two of them put up with this on the daily, Erik couldn’t even blame them if the answer was yes.
“We’ll let you go. We should be studying anyway. Just. . . Sorry again. And thanks, Erik. Really.”
Erik nodded with a smile, then bade them goodbye, getting waves in response before the call ended, leaving Erik now staring at his phone homescreen. An image of himself, Nathalie, Wille, and Simon.
Erik locked the phone, taking a deep breath as he let himself fall back so he was now lying on the couch cushions, his phone falling onto his chest. The crown prince closed his eyes, glad for the week to be over. Glad for the drama of Wille and Simon to be over. Completely letting go of the fact that he still had not a clue what the fight had been about. Erik decided he didn’t care to ever find out. It was done, and he was no longer caught between two teenage boys in the first fight of their relationship.
This weekend, Erik was going to get some much needed peace and quiet.