Isabelle’s Karaoke Restaurant
“Ay Simme! Wille!”
“Tja !” Wille exclaimed.
“Hej , bro!” said Simon.
“ROSH,” Simon yelled to her. “Stop making out with Yasmina and come say hi!”
Ayub, Simon, Rosh, Wilhelm, and Yasmina were gathered at Isabelle’s Karaoke Restaurant in Bjärstad. Ayub and Rosh had invited Wille and Simon to come, and they couldn’t resist. Yasmina was here because she and Rosh had gotten back together a month prior, and were very in love with each other. Rekindling that spark did good for them.
Simon hadn’t been here since the whole thing with Marcus, and Wille for one was happy to come here and make new better (much much much better) memories. The only memory he has of this place is seeing Ayub’s Insta story, then proceeding almost to take down the monarchy. (To be honest, he still wants to do that, it just takes some planning and not a phone call to his mother and the Royal Court. He honestly wants to abdicate. He hates being the crown prince.)
*****************************
“Okay, so, Ayub and I thought we could celebrate September’s jail time by singing!” The squad was all seated at a table and they had drinks with them. Wille and Yasmina were seated on chairs and Simon, Rosh, and Ayub were seated on a black leather couch.
“ Vänta, vänta, vänta ! Is that what the invite was for?” Simon questioned.
“Sounds like a good reason to celebrate to me,” Wille said, then sipped his drink.
“I mean, you aren’t wrong, amor .” Simon leaned over and caressed Wille’s thigh.
“I love how y’all call him September,” Yasmina mentioned.
“He doesn’t deserve proper name-calling,” Wille remarked, dead serious. He took another sip from his glass.
They all burst into laughter.
************************************
“Is that the Crown Prince and his boyfriend?” Someone at the restaurant whispered. It’s now November. The speech was in March, Wille and Simon announced they were a couple in April, and August’s trial for the CP charges was in September. The trial took a long, but prison is where he’ll be spending his time for a while. After some royal duties (that Wille never wants to do), he can spend some time with the love of his life and his friends.
People still whispered at the couple wherever they went. Wilhelm is used to the constant staring and whispers, but it’s still pretty new for Simon. Since the whole sex scandal happened, Simon was always recognized. Now that he’s in a public relationship with the future king of Sweden, he’s getting it even more– even when he is alone. It’s a good thing for security guards. Malin and Joakim were currently standing at opposite ends of the restaurant on the lookout.
“I think so. I think those are their friends too. Plus, I see security guards here. They must be for the royalty present.” The woman at the table with her friend whispered back.
*************************************
“NUGGIES!!!!!!!!” Simon squealed. He had quite an obsession with chicken nuggets. When he saw they had chicken nuggets on the menu, he couldn’t resist.
“I’m so fucking glad food is here. I’m so damn hungry. I’ve been craving these chicken nuggets for weeks. I swear they are the best from here. I probably eat too many nuggies in general, but I don’t care. I’ve only had them from here once, but I can easily say these are my second favorite food. Nothing beats satsumas, though.”
Wille looked at his lover and smiled. He can’t even express in words how much he loves Simon. Wille loved when his Simon was passionate. Simon was passionate about a lot of things, and one of them was food. Wille thought that Simon looks really cute while he eats. He always thinks that Simon looks cute.
They finished eating and then Yasmina and Rosh went to go sing. Nobody in the restaurant had sung while the gang was there yet. It took Rosh a little convincing to sing, but the second she saw a certain song in the song binder, she was convinced.
***********************************
Yasmina took the mic. “Hi! I’m Yasmina and this is my girlfriend Rosh. We are going to sing “Boyfriend” by Dove Cameron. This is for the fellow sapphics out there.” She smiled and winked. Nobody had to know that the two girls spent a very long time perfecting and practicing a routine to this song in the comfort of Yasmina’s bedroom. That was their little secret. And yes, they planned out that they’d each have a mic. They knew every single move they were gonna make.
Rosh wrapped one hand around Yasmina and wrapped another around her mic. Rosh and Yasmina were both very good singers. Yasmina was a die-hard theatre kid and was always in shows. Rosh didn’t sing often, but she was naturally gifted. Her mom liked to sing, so she would sometimes sing with her.
Rosh started.
I can't believe we're finally alone
I can't believe I almost went home
What are the chances? Everyone's dancing
And he's not with you
Yasmina sang the next part.
The universe must have divined this
What am I gonna do? Not grab your wrist?
They sang the chorus together.
I could be a better boyfriend than him
I could do the shit that he never did
Up all night, I won't quit
Thinking I'm gonna steal you from him
I could be such a gentleman
Plus all my clothes would fit
I could be a better boyfriend
Throughout the song, they gravitated towards standing at each other face to face, choreo forgotten, and moves based on impulse. The only thought going through their minds was how much they love each other and how beautiful the other looked on that stage.
Plus all my clothes would fit
The restaurant abrupted into applause. Ayub, Simon, and Wilhelm were whooping loudly and clapping the loudest out of everyone in the room. Smiles were present on the entire group’s faces.
“KISS HER!” Wilhelm yelled from across the restaurant.
Yasmina and Rosh obliged and the crowd cheered some more.
The door opened and the look on Rosh’s face went from sweet to sour.
In came Marcus. Simon had informed Rosh and Ayub of Marcus’s manipulative behavior, a couple of months prior. Wille had held and caressed his hand while he emotionally got through the conversation. Simon had talked about it with Yasmina pretty recently. He trusted Yasmina. She has a good heart and she means a lot to Rosh. Even when she and Rosh weren’t back together and had just barely started talking again, she reached out in support through August’s trial. Simon could honestly say that Yasmina was like a sister to him.
Simon’s face turned sour when he saw him. Wilhelm came to sit next to him, and he put a hand on his lover's thigh.
“It’s okay, love. I’m here.”
Simon was in therapy. Wille had suggested it to him, and Simon thought it’d be helpful. One thing he had talked about quite frequently was Marcus’s manipulation. When he and Wille got back together, Marcus had sent some not-so-nice messages to him. He was trying to manipulate Simon again, but Simon at this point was aware of his manipulative tactics. He had realized these the morning he broke up with him. Since the security guards are there, there shouldn’t be an issue, thankfully.
Simon nuzzled into Wille’s side. Wille and Simon didn’t mind PDA. Physical touch was both of their love languages and if they ever needed comfort, they would go for a touch of some sort. The Royal Court was surprisingly okay with it, as long as they kept it PG.
Kissing was also a source of comfort for the two of them. Hugs, yes, but they found more comfort in kissing.
“I want a kiss, baby,” Simon whispered to Wille as he pouted.
“Okay, mitt allt, ” Wille whispered back.
They kissed tenderly, but chaste. Wille cupped Simon’s face.
“So am I just third wheeling now, or?” Ayub challenged, as he was seated next to the couple.
“Sorry!” They both said sheepishly.
“It’s okay, bros.” He then saw Marcus. “ Skit . He’s here??!! Fuck. Comfort kissing?”
Simon nodded.
“We’ve all got you, bro. If you want to leave, just say the word and we’ll go.”
“I’m okay, but tack .” Rosh and Yasmina came back to the table. “Maybe Wille and I should act super coupley and piss him off some.” He took a sip of his drink and chuckled.
“I’m all in. Pissing off September and Marcus is two of my favorite pastimes.”
“Yay!” He looked directly towards and made eye contact with Marcus, who was watching the gang annoyed, then stood up, and plopped a big kiss on Wilhelm’s cheek while grabbing his boyfriend's face with both hands.
“Baby. Why don’t you say we sing a love song together?”
“I’d love to, but you know I can’t sing.”
“You don’t have to be great at singing to do it.”
“You’re right. I want to. Let’s make sure to sing something extremely ,” He emphasized the word, “romantic,” he finished.
“Let’s remind him what he doesn’t have.” He then whispered in Wille’s ear so only he could hear, “Nothing beats our love. No couple ever comes close to the love we feel for each other.”
Wille blushed a maroon red. He reached for Simon’s hand and then caressed the back of Simon’s when they were held. They both giggled when walking up to the binder full of songs.
They flipped through, and both smiled when they saw the title.
“We should do this one. We can change the pronouns.” Simon quietly spoke.
“Okay, mitt liv ” He caressed Simon’s neck with his thumb. They gave each other a quick kiss, then hopped up onto the stage.
“Hi, I’m Simon. This is my future husband, Wille.” Marcus’s jaw dropped. He was a bit stunned, unlike the gang. Wille and Simon have been calling each other “future husband” since they got together. Everyone knows they are going to get married. Well, apparently not Marcus. The whole goddamn media believes it, they are 17 and already have people drawing what they think the royal wedding of the century will look like.
Wille took the microphone. “We are going to sing a song to show how much we love each other and how we are never ever breaking up, contrary to people’s beliefs.” He looked at Marcus. “Well, try and express our love. They’re no words to describe how much we love each other. We know we’ll never love anyone else like this. We could only show this much love to our future children of course.” Simon tried to stifle a laugh. He failed.
“ God I love torturing Marcus! ” Simon thought.
“ This is so much fun! Marcus looks like he is about to explode! ” Wille thought.
Simon took the microphone from Wille’s hands and kissed him on the mouth. They both smiled into the kiss. They didn’t care that everyone was watching, all that mattered in the world was their love.
They broke apart, and Wille nodded to the guy running the karaoke machine.
I found a love, for me
Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead
Well, I found a boy , beautiful and sweet
Oh, I never knew you were someone waiting for me
Simon made sure to change the pronoun. He nodded at Wille and then handed him the mic.
'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love
Not knowing what it was
I will not give you up this time
But darling, just kiss me slow
Your heart is all I own
And in your eyes, you're holding mine
Wille wasn’t the best singer, but he honestly couldn’t give a shit– he was here with the love of his life singing about their love. The two lovers blasted this song together in the comfort of Simon’s room countless times. (They were told that they needed to stop blasting music in Wille’s room at Hillerska because they would occasionally blast music really loud at ungodly hours and it “disturbed the peace levels” and that “Taylor Swift is great and all, but screaming “fuck the patriarchy” at 3:00 AM is a bit disruptive to sleep” (Madison disagrees))
Wille bent down just a bit so they could share the mic.
Baby, I'm dancing in the dark
With you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass
Listening to our favorite song
When you said you looked a mess
I whispered underneath my breath
But you heard it
Darling, you look perfect tonight
Smiles were present on both boys' faces.
Baby, I'm dancing in the dark
With you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass
Listening to our favorite song
I have faith in what I see
Now I know I have met an angel in person
And he looks perfect
I don't deserve this
You look perfect tonight
Tears were in both of their eyes, by the end. Wilhelm reached out to wipe the single tear that fell from Simon’s eye, and Simon did the same to Wilhelm. They didn’t notice the clapping, not when it was their moment.
Wille’s eyes flicked down to Simon’s lips, and he moved closer. Simon’s eyes moved down too, and their lips met. They kept the kiss chaste, but people were already holding their phones up. It’s not every day you see the future king and future prince consort singing a love song duet. THEY. COULDN’T. GIVE. A. SHIT.
Ayub pulled his phone out to take a selfie of Wille and Simon in the back, while himself is giving a thumbs up with a giant smile on his face. Obviously, he posted it to his Instagram. He may or may not have tagged Marcus, along with Wilhelm and Simon, of course.
Wille then praised into the mic, “Give it up for my boyfriend's vocal cords!! I love you, baby ” He smirked. The Royal Court was gonna have fun with that. He wasn’t exactly supposed to make public declarations like that anymore, but if it pissed off Marcus? He’d do it in a heartbeat.
“Oh thank you, mi vida y mi amor. I love you too.” Simon said into the microphone. He also didn’t mind pissing off the Royal Court, especially Jan-Olof, since he was the one that suggested no more love declarations.
Simon grabbed Wille’s face and placed a smiling kiss on Wille’s cheek. He then started attacking Wille’s face with kisses, while Wille smiled wide and wrapped his hands around Simon’s waist. Simon looked up at Wille and smiled. “You make me so happy,” Simon whispered, looking at him with doe eyes. “So do you, mitt hjärta ” They then did a full-body hug.
Meanwhile, Marcus stood in the corner of the restaurant with tears in his eyes. Rosh saw a single tear drop down and laughed. It wasn’t quite loud enough for Marcus to hear, but Yasmina and Ayub smiled.
************************
“What was that laughing all about?” Simon quizzed as he and Wille returned. They both were asked to sign some napkins. So maybe the laughing was loud enough, maybe Marcus did hear it.
“Moping Marcus is over there crying for fucks sake,” Rosh informed.
“Good.” Wilhelm noted. “I like the nickname, by the way,” he added.
“He’s such a fucking idiot. Does he not even realize that I never even liked him? I kissed Wille at the ball I took him to. He’s a horrible kisser, by the way. I also like fucked Wille not too long after that, then broke up with him the morning after. I stayed at Hillerska that night. He had texted me a quote “Babe, I miss you” The fuck??!!” He took a sip of his drink. “I was literally naked in bed with Wille and he’s calling me “babe”. I left him on read. I ignored his ass like the whole time after the ball. OH YEAH! The ball was on Valentine's Day. Best V-Day gift, Wille’s lips.” Wille blushed. Simme continued, “I sang a love song to Wille then too! Marcus just stood there like “... I guess he likes school?” To be fair, Mister over here, needed me to spell it out for him. He thought the same thing!”
Wille looked like he was about to start, then he stopped, then spoke. “To be fair, I was more focused on the fact I just kissed you. And I can be oblivious sometimes…”
“Indeed, honey. Men jag älskar dig .”
“You two are so in love, it is gross. Do I have to deal with the entire friend group dating? Yes, yes I do. Single life” Ayub held up a peace sign and made duck lips.
“Don’t ever do that again.” Rosh declared.
“Aw shit. Moping Marcus is getting up on stage. He’s gonna embarrass himself.” Ayub said, ignoring Rosh’s comment.
“Mans can’t even sing,” Simon whispered to his lover.
“I’ve seen that story, he should be removed from every karaoke place ever,” Wilhelm whispered back.
“Hi. I’m Marcus. And I’m heartbroken. So I’m gonna sing about it. This is for my long lost lover.”
“Sweet baby Jesus.” Simon covered his face in his hands. “He’s so idiotic. “Long lost lover?” Bitch I never loved you. Was that not clear, you laughable man.”
“Hey! Let’s make out the whole song, it’ll make him suffer more.”
“I mean I’d love to, but the Court? We might have fumed them enough tonight.”
“So? I got revenge on August, so why not Moping Marcus?”
“Shit the song is starting, kiss me now.” Simon grabbed Wille’s face and started moving his lips to perfectly fit the shape of his lover.
A horrible rendition of Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” started.
Wille and Simon just kept kissing passionately. Rosh and Yasmina were in hysterics– at Marcus’s horrible singing, Wille & Simon’s tactic, and Ayub’s face of annoyance and pout– at Wille and Simon eating each other right next to him. He crossed his arms and huffed like a toddler.
The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling
We could've had it all
“Love??!!” Rosh heckled, “Yeah, sure!”
Marcus did a death glare at Wille, who was currently running one hand through Simon’s hair, and the other cupping and caressing his boyfriend's neck. He then stared at Rosh and made eye contact. Rosh broke it quickly and grabbed Yasmina’s thigh.
We could've had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand
But you played it with a beating
“He didn’t love you, broski! Didn’t he make it clear?” Yasmina heckled.
“He had more chemistry with a sweater than you!” Ayub yelled. (When Wille found his old sweater, Rosh and Ayub were over, so they witnessed the whole “Yes I kept it under my bed, and yes I did some things with it, including smell it. They would never let Simon live it down. (Wille wouldn’t either))
But you played it, you played it, you played it
You played it to the beat
Wille and Simon broke apart, and the squad burst out into laughter.
No one in the audience clapped. The squad’s laughter burnt out, and the whole restaurant was in awkward silence.
Simon looked at Wille seductively and smirked. Wille looked back and stared at Simon’s lips. Simon mouthed a “later” to his boyfriend and placed a hand on Wille’s thigh.
Marcus came over to the group.
“You never loved me, huh? You just like the prince better. But I can treat you right. I could make you happy. I wouldn’t let you get caught in a sex scandal. If you were just with me, if you stayed at Marieberg, we could have been real. But we’re always real… in my heart.”
Wille was about to start, but Simon stopped him. “I got this” he whispered.
“You really think I liked let alone loved you? I was just rebounding with you. I knew from the first time I kissed you, that my lips belonged interlocked with the Crown Prince’s. Do you know how much I love Wille? I wrote my song about him while we were together. I slept with his sweater under my pillow. I would take it out and smell it. You never treated me right. You manipulated me, you dumbass. You never got the signs. You never saw how uncomfortable I was in your presence. Don’t you notice how I am when I’m with him? Don’t you notice my body language? Like how my eyes shift when I look at my soulmate? How my eyes have a wave of uncomfortableness when I’m with you? How you didn’t leave the room when I was changing? How did I feel like I was being watched when you stared at me while thinking I wouldn’t notice? During lots of the moments we shared, I was trying to recreate memories that I shared with Wille. I wasn’t happy with you. I was happy when I kissed him at the ball. I was happy when I had sex with him and then dumped your ass the next day. I was happy when I told him I loved him. I was happy when he came out, for his own sake. I am happy when I kiss him, touch him, fuck him, and tell him I love him. It wasn’t my fault or Wille’s that the video happened. I would never be happy with you, there would always be something missing. You don’t need to know my reasons for going to Hillerska. It’s none of your fucking business. Newsflash! You’re a fucking douchebag who I hate. I’ve blocked your number and socials. Now, I have a super hot future husband to devour, so leave me alone… please.” He sat down in Wille’s lap and started playing with his boyfriends' locks. “Oh, and by the way, my fishes do have names.” He said no more than that. Marcus didn’t need to know any more details about that moment.
Marcus stood there appalled, tears ran down his face. He ran towards the exit, sobbing.
The group stood up and clapped. (Except Wilhelm, who had a lap full of Simon)
“Ay, ay! Simme!!!!!” Ayub chanted.
The rest of the restaurant was in shock, and Simon hushed them and looked at Wille.
“Baby?” Simon whispered.
“Holy shit, that was so hot,” Wilhelm answered back, only loud enough for Simon to hear.
“Meet me in the bathroom.” He whispered when nobody was looking.
Simon got up and left.
“Where’s he going?” Yasmina asked.
“I’m not sure.” Wille lied. “I have to use the restroom if you excuse me.” He stood up and left.
“I’m about 90% sure he does not need to use the restroom. I’m pretty sure Wille and Simon are about to do things in the bathroom.” Ayub remarked.
*************************
“Baby?” Wilhelm called out.
“Second stall!” Simon called back. “Lemme unlock the door!”
With a click, the door unlocked, and Wilhelm was getting pulled in. The door was locked again quickly.
Simon’s lips were on Wille’s quickly. His hands were placed on the nape of Wille’s neck. He opened his mouth to give Wille access, and Wille did the same. Simon pulled away for a second.
“We can’t do any more than kiss, since we’re in a public bathroom where anyone can walk in but, I need to kiss you dirtily where they aren’t all watching.”
“Baby.” Wille breathed. “I just want to be up close to you. We’ve already planned to go back to yours tonight, so we’ve got time. Now, please put your lips back on mine.”
Simon complied.
They continued kissing for who knows how long. Wille was currently pinned to the stall door, and Simon was devouring Wille’s neck. His eyes fluttered.
There was suddenly a knock on the restroom door. The boyfriends broke apart immediately.
“Dudes.”
It was just Ayub.
“I knocked 'cause we all thought you were fucking. I really have to pee, so don’t mind me. I’ll be in another stall. Sorry for cockblocking!”
“I’m gonna murder him,” Simon muttered to Wille. A small pout was present on Simon’s lips. Wille kissed it off.
“Could y’all stop for 20 seconds, jeez?” Ayub said from the other stall.
“Fuck you.” Wille joked.
“I think it might be time to stop,” Simon exclaimed when Ayub left. He then pouted.
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too! Mwah!” Simon kissed Wille’s cheek and giggled.
**********************************
“There you two are!” Rosh said with fake exasperation in her voice.
“Sorry,” Simon said sheepishly. He giggled some more.
“Wille. You got a mark on your neck.” Yasmina commented.
Simon’s eyes flew to Wille’s neck. Simon giggled once again.
Wille’s hand flew to his neck. “Shit? Mamma’s going to kill me. Simon, why are you laughing?”
“She’s fucking with you, amor .”
“Fuck you, Yasmina. I can’t believe you’ve done this.” Wille rolled his eyes and laughed.
A woman came up to them. “Hello, good evening, Crown Prince, Mr. Eriksson, friends. My name is Klara Hallman. I am the assistant manager. I’m afraid your group has been a little too noisy and disruptive this evening. I now have to politely ask you to leave. Thank you for dining with us. Please feel free to come back one day, but try to be quieter next time. Thank you.”
“Yes, of course. We are so sorry. The food was wonderful and so was the service.” Wille put on his Crown Prince voice.
Klara nodded and walked away.
“Well, let’s get going!” Yasmina exclaimed.
**************************
“Ugh. Mamma is not gonna like this. Neither will the court. I bet someone was filming.” They were all walking to the bus stop. With Malin and Joakim trailing behind them. (Malin would ride on the bus with the gang and Joakim would drive behind them.)
Simon grabbed Wille’s hand.
“We’ll deal with them together. We’re in this together.”
“ Tack , Simme.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
“STOP BEING SO DISGUSTINGLY IN LOVE, FOR FUCKS SAKE,” Ayub screamed.
Simon closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at him.
“YASMINA. ROSH. STOP PINNING EACH OTHER TO TREES AND SUCKING FACES! WE GOTTA GO!”
Both girls copied Simon’s move and walked over.