cw: grief, canonical character death
Wille puts on a dark pair of jeans and a white and blue striped shirt sleeved shirt. He thinks it is too much for a breakfast but he does what Simon told him to. He goes to his desk to put on his watch and looks at the picture of him and Erik on his desk. Simon comes and hugs him from behind, exactly knowing where Wille is looking at. Wille takes the snow globe in his hands and examines it so carefully like he is seeing it for the first time. Wille turns around, still holding the snow globe. Simon is looking back at him curiously.
"Frog Prince." Simon says. "Is there a story?"
"Yes, I didn't tell you?" Wille asks confused.
"Erik bought me this as a present when I turned 10, I think. I don't really remember." Wille begins. "He told me he IS The Crown Prince and I am The Frog Prince. If nobody kisses me until midnight on my birthday, I will turn into an actual frog and stay like that forever. And I believed him because I was 10 and stupid. I waited nervously until my birthday party and asked a few of my classmates to kiss me when they came to my party in the evening and they didn't want to. I didn't even ask for a kiss on the lips, I was only ten." he laughs.
"Some of them cried and told their parents, I think. I got so upset. I asked boys, too, which makes sense when I think about it now." Wille continues and Simon chuckles.
"Anyway, I started crying too because I was running out of time and thought I would turn into a frog and frogs are ugly, you know. I ran up to Erik and said 'Nobody wants to kiss me and I don't want to be a frog, Erik. They are ugly and nobody loves frogs. What am I going to do now? Help me.' and I started sobbing, like so loudly." Wille reminisces with a warm smile. Simon mirrors the sentiment and looks at him amused.
"Like I said I was stupid. I remember Erik's face, so shocked and helpless. He didn't know what to do to stop me from crying. He was also scared that mom and dad would hear about this and scold him. He NEEDED to stop me from crying." he chuckles.
"He told me he was only joking then and I won't turn into a frog. And I didn't believe him and I told him he was lying to me for not to make me upset." Wille adds and Simon looks at his boyfriend's face sympatheticly.
'He was really desperate and then he kissed me on my cheek and hugged me and said he really loves me and I won't turn into a frog because of that. Then I stopped crying. Both because I got my kiss finally and my brother told me he loves me for the first time. We would fight a lot and he would make me cry and mess with me up until that time and he stopped doing that then. He was always there for me after that. He always got my back when it was too much for me or mamma was burdening me with so many responsibilities. He tried to protect me and get me under his wing most of the time. This snow globe became a breaking point for us. It changed everything for the good. He was fourteen at the time." he continues.
"Two years later, he also started at Hillerska and I couldn't see him so often. Sometimes, he would have to leave without saying goodbye to me to go to school because I was having piano lessons or something like that and I would cry because I would think he doesn't love me anymore. Then he would call me and tell me I am stupid. I still was. I still am. Now, you are saying it. I am always having this snow globe by my side. Erik would make fun of me, telling me to let go. He would threaten me to tell this story to whomever I started dating when I was like 15 or something. Because it is really embarrassing and I am getting attached to it. It was total bullshit because I know he was also attached to it and he was feeling bad because he made me cry so much back then." he says, sadness clouding his face for a second. But he chuckles at his brother trying to look so tough.
"When mamma said I have to go to Hillerska, too, that was the first thing I packed. He again teased me and said "Maybe, you will find someone there to turn you into an actual prince. But, you need to actually talk to people for that or you will stay a frog forever." Wille laughs.
"He told me I am not allowed to tell this story because I am such a bad storyteller, only he can tell it to whoever I am with. No, whoever I am in love with. That's probably why I was holding back to tell you this story. As stupid as that sounds, I was still waiting for him to tell you deep down inside." Wille finishes and Simon gets teary, trying hard not to cry.
"It is not stupid." he says. "And it was a beautiful story and you told it pretty well. And clearly, he loves you so much." Simon says, not in the past tense. Just because Erik isn't here, it doesn't mean he stops loving his brother. Just like Wille didn't stop loving him. Maybe that doesn't make sense but it makes Wille smile.
"Thank you." Wille smiles.
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