Misguided Ghosts

Wilhelm wanted so badly to be able to sleep, but it's been an hour and he is still staring at the ceiling. Felice is asleep so he can't call her. He is alone with his thoughts. And they are all revolving around the same person. Simon, Simon, Simon, Simon, Simon… 

Despite the late hour, Wilhelm gets up again and decides to go to the bathroom. He closes the door between Simon's bedroom and the bathroom completely, without looking inside — he will always be respectful of privacy. His whole mind is a mess, and he desperately needs to clear his thoughts before he starts to feel anxious.

So he turns on the hot water in the bathtub and he slowly takes his clothes off. When he lowers himself into the water, the feeling of this hot liquid against his skin makes him exhale deeply. He lets his back rest on the edge of the bathtub and closes his eyes.

The day was draining for him, because Wilhelm is not used to socializing anymore. That's the thing with him, he chose this job because he doesn't have to be friends with anyone, he doesn't have to speak or to be close to anyone. He stays away from the people he protects, makes sure everything is okay and doesn't say a word.

Sometimes it takes a meeting with Felice or a moment with Saphir on an evening to realize that he didn't say a single word for days. And it's okay for him because Wilhelm is not really talkative. He hates to talk and often lets his friends speak for two around him.

But today he talked so much that he now feels nauseous. As he lets his body relax, he remembers the day and realizes how much he had spoken with Simon. But talking to him was not something that bothered him, it was so natural that he doesn't understand how it is possible. Simon talked too, they shared some wounds of their pasts and talked shit about their families – it turned out that out of their four parents, Linda is the only one they were in good graces with.

It was weird to talk about his parents while avoiding saying any names. He knows this whole video story traumatized Simon, everyone talked about his body and what happened for weeks, months, and August was publicly in the lights as the one who did it. But August is his cousin, and even if Wilhelm stayed in the shadows during this time, his mother showed up and protected August in front of Simon's face.

He sighs and opens his eyes. This guilt is so complicated, he thought it would be less intense since some years have passed, but it's still here. It's crushing his heart so hard. 

He rubs his chest in the water and looks at the ceiling for a solid minute. Oh, he wanted so bad to say the truth tonight. To explain to Simon that he was 16, he couldn't do anything, that he was so ashamed because he could have talked, he could have helped but they would have made him guilty and how could he possibly have lived knowing that Simon would have thought he did that?

Wilhelm was so innocent back then. Drawing the features of a boy he never talked to because he was scared to say hello. He hated himself and never would have had the courage to say something to Simon. Of course he wouldn't be able to record Simon naked and post him on any socials. 

But Marcus was right: he was obsessed. He recorded every choir performance to listen to Simon's voice for hours. He drew him, again and again, sometimes it was just details like his lips, or a curl, but sometimes it was all of Simon's face, he even had a sinful drawing of Simon in a morning scene he had imagined.

Nothing sexual, just an awkward drawing where he imagined what it would look like to wake up next to Simon, half naked in a bed and bathed in the glowing sun. Of course it looks creepy when it's out of context, but when he drew this it was just a stupid teenager in love wanting to show how the sun is useless unless the rays are on his skin, brushing his eyelashes, making his curls glow…

Simon, Simon, Simon, Simon… 

Oh, 16-year-old Simon was beautiful, he was everything Wilhelm wasn't. Simon was a cheerful teenager, always smiling and catching the sun under his perfect skin, with those wild curls that were always so naturally good-looking. He was the light.

But Wilhelm was the shadows. His acne made him feel so insecure about himself. He grew too fast, making him taller than most of the other boys his age. He had no light in him, no smiles or joyful moments. He was just a fucking stupid mess with so much anxiety that it was drowing his mind. 

How could someone so beautiful look at the insignificant boy he was?

Wilhelm always tried to be invisible. Most of the students didn't even know about his existence back then, he was literally trying to not exist. He stayed away from his cousin who was always searching for the spotlights. He was friends with Felice but at that time she spent so much time with Stella, Fred and Sara that Wilhelm couldn't be with her as much as he would have wanted to. He didn't really have any other friends and he didn't really want to change this either.

Most of the time, between classes, he was sitting away from everything, in the sun, and drawing things. He spent a bit of time with Sara and Felice at the stables but he always found some excuses to fly away and go to his room again because he was afraid Simon would show up to meet his sister.

Loser.

Wilhelm stops rubbing his chest and looks at his hand. He is lost in his thoughts. They all revolve around Simon, and he is so aware of that.

But if he truly thinks Simon was beautiful when he was 16, it's nothing compared to today. All the time they spent together tonight was difficult because of that. Simon looks even shinier than before. His skin is glowing even at night, making him the only sun that matters. His eyes are so mischievous yet so beautiful, just a big brown curious gaze that makes Wilhelm lose his words sometimes. He looked so good tonight, so luminous, so fucking attractive.

And his voice has changed but not for the worse. He still sings beautifully — yes, he looked it up — but now even when Simon talks he is mesmerizing. And Wilhelm hates that, of course. 

“Get over it, Wilhelm…” he whispers to himself, before he decides to clean himself and gets out of the bathtub. He sighs as he gets a towel to dry his body and goes back to his room with his hair still dripping. He only has some strength left to put his underwear on before he crashes onto his bed, definitely too tired now to do anything else. He needs some sleep so bad.

— ✰ — 

“Fuck…” Simon's broken voice is so beautiful that Wilhelm can feel his heart racing violently.

Simon smells like the world. A mix of grapefruit and his shampoo, and something that is just Simon. And his own scent, too, because at this exact moment their skins are touching each other so hard that he can't tell which perfume is coming from which body.

He kisses his neck, making Simon whimper softly. Their hips are crashing together like waves on the sand and Wilhelm is so intoxicated by the moment that all he can feel is the parts where their bodies meet, their hands tightly holding each other, keeping them locked together above Simon's curls, Simon's legs circling his waist, giving him all that he has so Wilhelm can thrust harder into him and work their pleasure into fireworks, their chests touching each other at some times, his lips brushing Simon's even if he doesn't kiss him.

He can't kiss him, it looks more like they are trying to catch each other's breath so they can live upon this moment. And it would be a shame to cut his moans off — he sounds so good and Wilhelm is literally swallowing each part of it, repeating each movement that makes Simon feel sofuckinggood so he can hear him whine again and again…

The sound of his alarm wakes him up so suddenly that Wilhelm doesn't understand right away what is going on. He breathes deeply, his whole body is shaking and if he closes his eyes again he is so sure he can still feel Simon under him. He remains confused for a couple of minutes before he comes to brush his eyelashes with his fingers. He desperately looks at the ceiling, trying to understand what his mind is too scared to admit.

He just had a fucking erotic dream about Simon.

Fuck.

Wilhelm sits on his bed and tries to put himself back together to erase the hints of what just happened. He needs some time of course, because this dream was so realistic that he now has to deal with morning wood. And his messy thoughts. He is breathing way too fast and he knows he has to inhale deeply to calm down. And wait. What the fuck.

When he gets up and puts some clothes on, Wilhelm is so focused on what he is doing that he doesn't realize right away that someone is knocking on his door. He manages to run his fingers through his hair so it doesn't look like a mess, and his earpiece finds its way back to its place.

He opens the door between his room and the bathroom, and Simon smiles slightly when their eyes meet.

“Hey, Wille…”

“Hello, Simon.” Wilhelm feels his heart racing, he just hopes his face is neutral so none of his thoughts will show up. He brushes his teeth quickly while Simon leans his shoulder against the wall.

“You're coming with me to my rehearsal today, right?”

Wilhelm nods. Of course, he has to stay with Simon almost all the time. But to be honest rehearsals are actually the part he is going to love the most. Simon will be away from him on stage with no real public to supervise to avoid an incident. He rinses his mouth. “Are you stressed?” 

Simon started to show some signs of anxiety, and for obvious reasons Wilhelm is very sensitive to them. “Yeah… I think it's just in my head though, but I feel like I'm going to throw up. I always wanted to do that, but I don't really know what I was expecting with being a singer.”

“What do you mean?”

“Usually when I'm on stage I can focus on my mom to avoid feeling overwhelmed by…having so many people in front of me. She always comes. But here…”

Simon is playing with his fingers nervously. Wilhelm can see it very clearly, the more he talks about his anxiety the more he shows signs. He comes a little bit closer, and takes the most friendly smile he can have. “You're not alone, Adriana is here, and me too.”

Simon smiles back and Wilhelm goes back into his room to take his jacket and put it on. “Wille?”

Wilhelm feels a shiver down his spine. He should never have allowed so much closeness to settle between them. “Mhm?” 

“Can we get iced coffee on the way?”

Wilhelm raises an eyebrow while looking at Simon stupidly for a minute. He presses his earpiece. “Addy, I hope you're awake and ready to go. Simon wants an iced coffee.”

“I fucking love this boy. Tell him he is the love of my life.” Adriana's voice is already so cheerful that Wilhelm smiles. 

“You can tell him that yourself.”

Wilhelm nods to Simon who was waiting at the door and the sound of victory he hears in answer makes him roll his eyes. Children. He closes the doors behind him as he joins Simon's bedroom, and opens the door to the corridor. “Let's go.”

“I really think you do this because you're a gentleman and not actually because of your job. This isn't in your contract.”

“I'm so close to slamming that door into your face while you're on your way out.”

Simon laughs while joining the corridor, where Adriana welcomes him with a way too happy tone. Wilhelm comes out of the bedroom too, closing the door to join them and move them along. They are speaking Spanish to each other, way too fast for him to understand a damn word but it's better like this. He doesn't want to talk anyway.

But the thing with Wilhelm is, when he is not talking or paying attention to someone who is talking, his thoughts are noisy. This time is no different, he is starting to think about the way he woke up earlier again, overwhelmed by a dream where he was physically close to Simon in the most personal way.

He doesn't really mind having some erotic dreams, actually. He is twenty and his body is working normally. The only confusing part is Simon. Because even if he already had a crush on this boy, he never actually thought of having sex with him.

Not that he never wanted to. It's more the fact that Simon felt like literal sunlight. So beautiful that Wilhelm could have broken him between his fingers or suffocated his light with all his shadows and dark clouds. Simon had always felt like the perfect sin. He wanted to touch it, to taste it, but it was something he could never have.

As he walks behind Simon and Adriana in the streets he doesn't realize that he is not paying attention to anything. His hands are in his jacket pockets and his brain is its own bubble for now. He lets them go inside the little coffee shop they have chosen on Simon's phone, he just asks Adriana to bring him a coffee back.

When she comes back she seems a little bit worried as she hands him the coffee. “Is everything fine, Wille?”

He nods. “Yes.”

“You can talk to me, you know?”

“I know, Adriana. I'm just tired, I had trouble falling asleep. I'm ok.”

She nods, and even if Wilhelm can't tell if she believes him or she just doesn't want to push on his boundaries, he feels thankful for that. They wait for Simon to come back and they finally continue to the concert hall together. 

— ✰ —

He really thought that he could avoid everything while Simon was on stage, but the fact is that Wilhelm is overwhelmed by Simon's presence. He is sitting next to Adriana, who is on her phone playing god knows which stupid game, and Wilhelm wishes he could do that too.

But how is it possible to watch anything else in the room? Simon is singing, catching all the lights in this fucking auditorium to shine brighter than them all. His voice is intoxicating, Wilhelm can feel it growing inside his lungs, as if he was sharing his breath with Simon while he sings.

The song is so beautiful, and he listened carefully to Adriana when she explained that all the songs were written by Simon himself. All. Of. Them. He is so talented that Wilhelm feels mind blown.

“This kind of love we can't control,

The art of touch, I am covered in gold,

I know that you feel me now…”

Wilhelm tries to breathe slowly but his heart begins to race when his eyes meet Simon's. The little light in his deep brown eyes, god. Wilhelm can tell that Simon is happy to notice that someone is paying attention to him. And he has all of Wilhelm's attention. 

“The parts of me buried underneath,

They're glowing, don‘t you see?

I know that you feel me now…”

The glowing. Simon is glowing. Like an angel, his voice is so strong and it contrasts with his body, because in the middle of this whole stage he seems too tiny for this world. 

“Cover my thoughts in gold,

I'm your flower, watch me unfold…”

Sometimes the angle makes him have a crown of lights, and woah. Wilhelm breathes deeply and sighs. He makes sure Adriana is still on her phone before he tilts his head slightly and focuses on Simon again.

“My vulnerability, letting you consume me,

The parts of me that eyes can't see…”

Every word feels like a blessing. Wilhelm feels blessed to be here. And it hits him that, even though Simon isn't really tall, he takes all the available space on this stage. He makes the stage his own.

“Picking off the petals,

I'll let you if you're gentle,

This kind of love we can't control,

Watch me unfold.”

“I'll be back, Wille, I need a little break.” Wilhelm turns his head towards Adriana and nods. She leaves so quickly that he understands she was waiting for the song to end.

He turns his gaze back to Simon, who gets down off the stage to join him. He drinks some water and smiles at Wilhelm. “Did you like it?”

“What?” Wilhelm is still mesmerized and needs a few more seconds to make his brain start working again. “Oh, the song? Yes. It was really beautiful. Your voice is… I'm speechless.”

Simon blushes lightly and smiles a little bit more, and it's enough for Wilhelm to feel his heart melt. Ugh.

“Nobody was paying attention, even the people who are working with me. You were the only one.”

“Their loss.”

They both laugh for a few seconds before Simon sits next to him in a comfortable silence. They look at the stage, someone comes to put things in order and asks the person in charge of the lights to turn them a little bit.

“How do you feel? Tomorrow night will be your night.” Wilhelm turns his head to look at Simon, interested.

“So fucking anxious.”

“There's no reason. You're more than ready.”

“Says the prince to his princess, while in reality they are still adjusting the lights…!” Simon laughs and Wilhelm rolls his eyes, hiding a little smile on the way. He doesn't want to show how this simple sentence amused him.

“We don't care about the lights. You're catching every inch of them already.”

He realizes his words right after they've left his mouth. He suddenly bites his lip while looking at the stage again to avoid Simon's gaze. The silence is different, not uncomfortable, but full of unsaid words. 

Except it doesn't have the same meaning on each side. Wilhelm is full of negativity. He feels ashamed, guilty, anxious… He was about to get up but he suddenly feels a cold hand against his own, holding onto his fingers, and Simon is literally intertwining them with his own.

“Why are you so stressed, Wille? You are even more than me right now.”

Oh, Wilhelm wants to tell the truth. The words are burning his tongue, hurting his throat on the way because he knows that they are already on their way to becoming friends in Simon's eyes and, fuck, there are so many problems between them. Simon doesn't know anything, but Wilhelm is probably all that he hates now.

But the truth is…Wilhelm was never the type of guy who has had a lot of courage. He swallows his saliva, and his words on the way, as he drops his eyes down to their hands. “Are you cold?”

“Always. Your hand is very warm compared to mine…”

Wilhelm extends his other hand to him and Simon turns his body towards him to let their fingers meet on the other side too. Wilhelm warms them up as much as he can, avoiding Simon's eyes by looking at the way their hands are interlacing. 

“Wille… I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

Simon seems to hesitate. The blushing on his cheeks is light, probably because his caramel skin is covered in a soft touch of makeup. Wilhelm finds this beautiful on him. 

“Would you be okay to stay with me tonight, too? I felt…way less stressed when I was with you yesterday.”

“You want to go eat somewhere else?”

Simon shakes his head. “No, but we can order room service and watch a movie or something? If it's okay for you.”

Wilhelm knows damn well he shouldn't. God. He should put all the distance he could between them, avoid becoming his friend at all costs because at the end there is no truth that stays hidden forever.

The silence makes Simon panic. “But you don't have to, of course!”

“It's okay, Simon. Yeah, let's do that tonight.”

Fuck. It is just impossible to say no to those eyes. Those fucking eyes. And they shine brighter after this answer, making Wilhelm's heart stutter on the way.

“I have to go back to the stage. Thank you, Wille!”

Their hands part from each other and Wilhelm lets him go back to his work. His eyes are still down on his hands. He hates contact. It disgusts him. But Simon's skin felt so good. It was cold, as if their temperatures were balancing each other out. And it was soft, just like touching a delicate velvet and losing his fingers inside it because it feels so nice against his own sensitive skin that usually hates being touched.

Wilhelm frowns. Why does Simon feel so good?

— ✰ —

When Adriana comes back Wilhelm looks at her with a worried face. “Are you okay, Addy?”

“Not really but I'll be fine. Don't worry about me.” Her smile is really cute and she even kisses Wilhelm's cheek quickly to reassure him. They spent the time left of Simon's rehearsal talking about how to ensure his safety during the concert. They told the security of the concert hall how and where they want the fencings to be to avoid anyone jumping on the stage – Simon may not be as famous as Beyoncé but there are still some sociopaths with weird ideas and it's their job to protect him and to think about any possible failure. 

Keeping his brain busy is the best thing Wilhelm can do. Not only to avoid thinking about his dream or about Simon who is singing on stage but also to prevent stress if he starts thinking about tonight. 

And this tonight keeps coming closer and closer.

“Hey, Wille…” He looks at Adriana, who comes closer to him. He always loved how she is able to be close to him without being too close to him. She is not touching him, leaving enough space between them to avoid any anxiety.

“Addy?”

“Can I ask you a question and get a real answer? Not one of your stupid quick answers to end the conversation?”

“Ask and we'll see.”

Their eyes meet and Wilhelm knows right away that she is really serious. She frowns and looks at Simon quickly, he is far away from them and nobody can hear them anyway.

“Are you comfortable around him? You're acting weird, I already felt it on the plane yesterday but it's worse today. I know you have some pretty high walls around your heart to protect yourself, I always knew this side of you. But woah, today was harsh. Worse than ever.”

“No, yes. No. I mean-” Wilhelm sighs and licks his lips quickly to concentrate. “It's a complicated story, Adriana. But I swear I'm fine around him. It's him who shouldn't feel safe around me.”

“Is it the time where I'll meet the Wille who can't stop saying how bad he was and how his soul is lost forever again?” She smiles slightly, but oh, Adriana, if only you knew how right you were here.

“There are a lot of things that you still don't know about me, Addy.”

“You're a good person, Wille... I don't care what you may have done in your past. It doesn't mean that you're still the same today. You grew up. You learned.”

“But there are still consequences that I didn't face.”

“It's never too late.”

Wilhelm doesn't answer. He looks to his right, Simon is still on the stage. He isn’t singing anymore but he is laughing with a person from the staff. “I can't. But don't worry. I'll be fine.”

“Wille…”

“Addy. Stop.” Wilhelm whispers, making a sign towards Simon who gets down from the stage to join them.

“Hey, um… I didn't realize that it's already 7pm. Maybe we should go back to the hotel?”

Wilhelm nods and puts his hands in his jacket to turn his back on the others and leave. He knows that he will be followed by them anyway. Adriana is speaking in a joyful tone in Spanish behind him, he hears everything. Simon is a little bit more quiet than he was this morning though. 

— ✰ —

The shower is so good that Wilhelm wishes he could stay here forever. He sighs as he turns off the water and carefully takes the towel to dry himself. When he enters his room again, he has just enough time to put on sweatpants before someone smashes through the door. 

“Hey, Wille!!! Oh- my god, sorry.”

Simon turns his back to look away and Wilhelm can finally put on a t-shirt. He hates this feeling that is burning in his throat. This sensation of being exposed to someone.

“Knocking on my door was an option.” His voice is colder.

“I'm… Oh. I'm really sorry, I was too excited…”

Wilhelm rolls his eyes and Simon turns his gaze towards him again. He comes closer, carefully, probably to check the temperature around his bodyguard, but Wilhelm is emotionally unavailable after his boundaries were crushed so hard. His face is more neutral than never.

“I am truly sorry, Wille. I mean it.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Simon smiles. And it is the worst thing he could ever do because Wilhelm feels his heart melt. Almost instantly. “Because… When you're like this, I mean- when you look like you're angry I can still see a little sparkle in your eyes. And it's comforting.”

Wilhelm is flabbergasted. He just stays here, looking stupidly into Simon's eyes, trying to find a sign that he is joking. It has to be a joke. How could it be anything else?

But Simon looks deadly serious.

“There's nothing comforting in me.”

“Sorry to break it to you but you're my bodyguard, Prince Wille. I'm supposed to feel comfort and safety around you.”

Wilhelm huffs. He tilts his head.

“What were you so excited about?”

Simons is almost dancing of excitement, going from one of his feet to the other without interruption. “There's this horror movie on TV. Hereditary. And I thought that maybe–”

“As you said, you're supposed to feel safe around me. So there's no way I'll watch any horror movies with you.”

“Are you scared?”

“Yes. Horror movies freak me out. So the answer is- What are you doing?”

Simon stepped closer to him, surprising Wilhelm on the way. The bodyguard is looking at Simon with an expression that nobody can really understand, not even Wilhelm himself.

“Don't make me beg… I'll do anything for you if you say yes…” Simon makes a mischievous face and tilts his head in a cute way, a so fucking cute way, that contrasts with his devilish brown eyes.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Say no, Wilhelm. Stay focused and say n-

“Fine.”

Simon lets out a joyful sound and raises his fists up in victory. This makes Wilhelm smile slightly, but it doesn't last because he doesn't want to make him feel even more victorious.

“But I have a condition.”

“Tell me it isn't something I can't do.”

“If I can't sleep after you'll have to stay awake with me.”

Simon laughs, and he nods lightly. “I can do that.”

“And I‘m craving sushi so I'm going to order some...” He takes his phone from his bed and looks at Simon again. He is showing some signs of impatience again. “Do you want something?”

“Fuck yes, please!”

They both laugh at this reaction, before they start to choose what they want to eat to place their order.

— ✰ —

“Don't steal it!” Before Wilhelm can grab the last sushi, Simon has already taken it. He laughs and touches Wilhelm's shoulder with his own. 

They are both sitting on Simon's bed. The TV is on, they choose to put some cartoons on while eating, because Simon insisted on watching the horror movie in the dark — and Wilhelm can't eat in the dark. He thought Simon was going to laugh at him for this but he didn't say anything.

Wilhelm is veryvisual. He has always been like that. He loves to see everything, he wants to be able to catch every detail of what is around him. And when he eats it is actually worse because he needs to know what he is eating and over analyze every part of his meal. Stupid OCD.

“I knew you were trying to make this moment last forever but you're not going to escape this horror movie!”

“I wasn't trying to!”

Simon looks at him with a smile, raising an eyebrow as if he could read the lie on Wilhelm's face. 

“Okay, maybe I tried but I really don't like horror movies.”

Simon laughs while grabbing their drinks to put them on the nightstand on his side. He cleans the bed, without pausing long enough for Wilhelm to help. “Believe me you're gonna have to watch this horror movie whether you want to or not.”

Wilhelm shifts into a better position, leaning his back against the pillows while looking at him. He was about to ask something but suddenly Simon was close.

Really close.

Closer than he ever was.

Wilhelm feels Simon's hips against his, his shoulder too. And his arm. And..his hand. Touching him slightly. It's nothing for Simon, and it should be nothing to Wilhelm either, since they held hands during the day when Simon was cold. But it is enough to make him panic.

He is suddenly so deaf to everything that Simon has to snap his fingers in front of his face to make Wilhelm pay attention to him.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes! Yes, sorry. Go on.”

Simon turns the lights off, and shifts his position slightly, snuggling against Wilhelm's side to turn the movie on. But Wilhelm is paralyzed, there is so much of Simon against him. He can feel Simon. Even his breathing finds its way to Wilhelm's skin.

Why isn't his body reacting the way it always does? Usually he would have felt nauseous. Being so close to someone would have made him leave to go to the bathroom and throw up.

But right now, this feels right.

He is so lost in his mind that the sudden sound from the movie makes him jump, giving Simon a satisfied laugh. “Can't believe my prince is more scared than I am.”

“Shut up or you'll never wake up tomorrow.”

The laugh is real on both sides, maybe a little bit more shy on Wilhelm's. Silence falls again, it's comfortable for both of them. The movie keeps playing, taking up all of their attention.

Well, that is what Wilhelm thought, actually. 

Because, after half an hour, Simon begins to feel heavier against his shoulder. When he looks down at him, he sees that Simon has fallen asleep. On him. And he is holding his arm with one of his hands, so Wilhelm can't really move without waking him up.

So the only thing he can do is focus on this damn movie that he didn't even want to watch in the first place. And god, he still hates horror movies. The disgusted face he was making didn't leave his features once until the end of it. Ew.

So, what now?

Wilhelm knows that Simon is tired and needs this sleep desperately, especially since tomorrow will be a big day. But he is stuck here, and the movie has ended. So he tries to move, slightly, slowly… but he ends up with a little growl coming from Simon.

Sneaking out of this bed is hard, but he is trying, until Simon slides down on his bed to get more comfortable. But instead of letting Wilhelm go, he pulls on his arm until the bodyguard is laying next to him. “I can't stay awake for you right now but you can stay with me…”

His sleepy voice. God, his sleepy voice!!!

Wilhelm tries to catch his breath, while Simon is literally curling himself up against his body. His nose touches Wilhelm's collarbone, and even if his t-shirt is between them, Wilhelm can still feel his hot breath everytime he exhales. 

And Wilhelm's nose is lost in this big amount of messy curls, and they smell like grapefruit and Simon. Exactly how they smelled in his dream. Exactly how Simon felt in his dream.

His body is cold though, so Wilhelm pulls the blanket that is by their hips up to his shoulders before his arm finds its way around Simon's ribs to pull him closer to his warmth. 

Simon is holding onto Wilhelm so hard, already falling asleep again like this, that he can't move.

He just can't.

And suddenly, in this weird but safe embrace, Wilhelm feels so tired, too.