At 8 years old, Wilhelm and Simon are inseparable. When Simon abruptly stops showing up to play, Wilhelm just wants his best friend back.
A 16, Wilhelm is sent to Hillerska to find himself and instead finds Simon – but Simon wants nothing to do with him.
a slow burn childhood best friends to strangers to somewhat enemies to lovers au
chapter ten: i will call you by name
word count: 24.5k (121k overall - click here to start from the beginning)
summary: “are you happy here? at hillerska?”
simon lifts his head at the question, blinking as wilhelm’s words register. his face doesn’t give anything away, but without a word, he reaches to the lowest key on the piano and presses down hard. a deep and resonant note vibrates into the room. he lets it go after a second, but sound continues to rattle through wilhelm’s bones.
then, simon echoes his question. “are you happy here?”