#background wilmon

Bright ideas by Sflow T, Gen, 4,660 words

In hindsight, hiding in the bathroom may not have been one of Henry’s greatest strokes of genius, but he’s committed to it now.

Most people would’ve made for the door when they heard their team captain say that scrubbing the showers would teach them to be on time for practice, but not Henry. No, the first solution that occurred to him was to grab his things, tell Walter not to wait, and dart around the corner to hide in here. The idea was to make it look like he left and give August a chance to calm down when he couldn’t be found in the dorm either. He’s had some time to question his plan since then – not least because someone else might need to use the bathroom – but he’s got away with it so far.

He pricks his ears to determine if August has left yet. It’s no use. There’s less commotion in the locker room than there was a moment ago, but it’s surprisingly hard to identify any voices from here or make out any words unless they’re shouting.

Probably best to stay put, then.

There’s no way Henry is going to just accept some bullshit cleaning job as punishment when some of his teammates get away with much worse. Well, at least one of them does. Vincent skips three practice sessions out of five, and yet he still acts and gets treated like a valuable asset when he does show his face. He even had the audacity to nod along when August said Henry was disrespecting the team with his chronic tardiness.

According to the third-years on the team, Vincent’s liberties go back to the very start of the school year. Unlike his more rowing-inclined friends, he never saw the point of being on the team unless he also got to be on the race crew – and when August made captain, he expected to be guaranteed a spot. To nobody’s surprise but Vincent’s own, August told him no. The team’s success should be their number one priority, and Vincent’s performance last year was no better than average. So, he would simply have to work hard if he wanted to qualify this year. Naturally, Vincent was outraged by this, and for a few days, it almost seemed as if the two might fall out for good. They finally settled on Vincent being free to come and go as he pleases, citing elusive ‘other engagements’ that would prevent him from being on the race crew anyway.

Many of their teammates think the blatant special treatment is a matter of the aristocracy sticking together, but Henry is pretty sure it’s more about August and Vincent’s years of friendship. After all, he’s a nobleman too and even part of the Society, and he never gets any slack at all. August has tried to catch him on a lie during every one his very legitimate migraine attacks, and he certainly wouldn’t be hiding in the bathroom now if he had any doubt the threat he overheard was real.

Although if he’s completely honest with himself – and he might as well be, since his phone is almost out of battery and there’s nothing better to do while he’s stuck in here…

If he’s completely honest with himself, he’s not just hiding from an unfair punishment and yet another scolding. He’s also hiding from the fact that August isn’t actually wrong. He really isn’t as committed to the team as he should be, and it’s no coincidence he’s always late for practice when his roommate isn’t there to drag him along.

It was all Walter’s idea to join the team to begin with. They both wanted to do an extracurricular activity to score some extra credit, but it was Walter who thought rowing sounded like fun. Henry would have rather picked something more casual – preferably something where he could run after a ball, whack it with a stick or racket, and laugh about it whether they won or lost. He only let himself be talked round because he was so eager to do everything with his new best friend.

Besides, Walter seemed to have really thought it through. Yes, Henry was right that neither of them knew anything about rowing, but the description said ‘no prior experience required.’ No, Henry didn’t need to worry about it being too tough, because he was just as sporty as Walter. Anyway, he could just be a backup if he didn’t want to take it too seriously. Also, Wilhelm would probably be there, because rowing was clearly in his blood. What kind of friend would Walter be if he hogged this chance to rub elbows with the prince all to himself? At the very least, Henry had to come with him the first time to check it out.

The memory draws a sigh out of Henry. He doesn’t regret going along, not really. He doesn’t hate rowing as such, and he likes that he’s got to know a few new people through it, even if Wille has mostly kept him at arm’s length. He could never regret all the time that it’s allowed him to spend with Walter, either.

It’s just that the good moments no longer outweigh the struggle. Contrary to what Walter said about backups all those months ago, every man on August’s team is expected to give it more than a hundred percent, and Henry just doesn’t find the constant push rewarding at all.

His motivation has been on a downward spiral all winter, and it feels even harder to start back up after a couple of weeks’ break. Today, he was half an hour late for their first erg tests of the year – in preparation for the race against Sprucewood – and he can’t even honestly say he lost track of time playing on his phone. He deliberately misplaced the time until Walter texted him from the locker room, and even then, he didn’t exactly run to the gym.

Which probably means it’s time to acknowledge that he was right all along. Rowing just isn’t for him, and he needs to switch to something more enjoyable before he starts faking migraines or August really loses patience with him –

His thoughts scatter like birds taking flight from a tree when his phone lights up with what he hopes might be an all-clear text from Walter. His hand automatically moves to grab it.

Freedom beckons, at last. August has left the dorm for a prefects’ meeting, and he should be gone until dinnertime. In fact, some of their classmates are planning something really cool in his absence. Walter won’t say what it is, just that Henry needs to hurry up and get home – a turn of phrase that still makes a warm splash in Henry’s chest, even though they’ve been using it amongst themselves for a while now.

Henry doesn’t need to be told twice. He quickly fumbles his jacket on and picks up his sports bag to go. There are still some people talking in the locker room, but that doesn’t matter anymore.

Except maybe it does, because the voices immediately go silent when Henry opens the door. His ears register that, but his legs move forward before his brain catches up, and then it’s too late to stop or retreat anymore. He’s got no choice but to keep walking past the private moment he has clearly interrupted between his two teammates.

Not just any two teammates, either. Wille and Simon. Sitting side by side on a bench, staring at him as he launches into his second-best impression of a guy who’s just minding his own business. His best would include saying something to make the situation less awkward, but he can’t get anything out for the awkwardness.

Not that Wille and Simon seem open to nervous banter anyway. Henry gets the distinct feeling that he’s missing something here, and he kind of wants to just stop and gawk back at them until they spit it out – but of course he doesn’t actually do that. He makes sure to close the door behind him and even continues a good few steps down the path before stopping to gather his wits.

What was that weirdness back there? Why did they look so caught out? It’s not as if he saw them making out or anything –

Wait, was that it? Were they making out while he was hiding in the bathroom?

He supposes they could’ve been, but wasn’t there too much talk for that? He’s the furthest thing from an expert, and he wasn’t really paying attention, but surely there was too much talk. They didn’t jump apart when they saw him, either. So, they probably weren’t doing anything – but maybe they thought he thought they were?

Shit, he should’ve said something after all. Should he go back and say it now?

He groans at the dumb idea and thumps his forehead with the heel of his hand to push it back. Then he starts towards Forest Ridge, and not a moment too soon. He is still close enough to hear the door clang and catch a glimpse of Simon hurrying in the other direction with his shoulders hunched.

The dramatic exit finally connects the dots in Henry’s head. There’s no great mystery to it after all, just Wille and Simon’s discussion being more intense than he realised. They must’ve thought he overheard them and is on his way to start the rumour mill right now.

Well, if that’s the case, they’re worried for nothing. It’s been a bit unclear what the deal is between those two and whether it’s still going on, but the answers are basically irrelevant now.

Wille’s interest in guys and his connection to Simon are no longer scandalous revelations that could shake up the social order and threaten the monarchy itself. They are secrets shared between those in the know. As Henry’s dad said over Christmas break, Wilhelm is not the first person in their acquaintance to want to hide some of his private affairs – nor to deny them when exposed. Any one of their peers would have done the same thing to protect their own and their family’s privacy, reputation, and standing. And of course, the Crown Prince’s duty is heavier and his position more difficult than theirs could ever be.

Wilhelm also wouldn’t be the first to still carry on with those affairs, and helping him hold up the veil of secrecy would benefit everyone much more than exposing him again. People would still keep tabs on who he was carrying on with, but for now, it just seems to be the same guy he’s been hiding all along. Why would anyone risk getting on his bad side just to recycle the same old gossip?

Naturally, there is still a difference between those in the know and Wille’s true inner circle. Henry’s dad also told him to do whatever it takes to get into the latter, but Henry let that advice go in one ear and out the other. It’s taken him months to undo the terrible impression he made at his father’s urging when Wille first came to Hillerska, and even the shiny Crown Prince title has dimmed in the meantime. It will never stop being a huge added bonus, but Henry has given up on chasing it now that he’s grown to like Wille as just one of the guys.

That decision had already come together over the autumn, but it was the sex tape scandal that really locked it in. Henry was as intrigued as the next guy when he heard about the unlikely romance – perhaps even more intrigued, since he also knew about the drama with the drugs – but other people quickly ruined the fun. Their intrusive speculation on Wille’s sexuality really didn’t sit right with him, and he could not have cared less about who did what to whom on the video.

Thus, Henry was already fed up with the buzz by the time Wille and Simon returned to school, and he genuinely felt bad for them having to suffer through it. Both of them, to his infinite surprise. He didn’t know what to do with the sudden flicker of sympathy for Simon, so he just filed that away for future reference, but at least he could try to show his support for Wille by treating him as normally as possible. Even if his efforts didn’t seem to register, it felt nice to have tried.

In light of all that, it’s no wonder Henry’s attention turns away from Wille and Simon on the last stretch to the dorm. Whatever their latest drama might be, it doesn’t concern him, and he’s not going to dwell on it any longer. In fact, he’s already spent way too much time and energy on all this thinking and reflecting than he intended. That’s what he gets for not charging his phone.

The details of his plan to quit the rowing team can also wait until tomorrow, and so can figuring out what he’s going to do instead. He will tell Walter when he gets home, because Walter deserves to know they won’t be going to practice together anymore, but once that’s taken care of, he’s just going to get in on whatever the guys are arranging and enjoy the rest of the night.

It turns out Walter has been eagerly awaiting his return. As soon as Henry walks in, he bounces up from where he was sitting by the desk to exclaim, “Finally! I was starting to think you locked yourself in or something.”

“Nah. Just wanted to make sure August wasn’t waiting to ambush me,” Henry chuckles. The picture coaxes a grin out of Walter, but only in passing.

“Do you still think he meant to punish you for real?” Walter asks while Henry drops the bag next to his bed and goes to put his jacket away. “Because he wasn’t even talking to you, he was just blowing off steam. He never looked for you or asked me where you went or anything. Also, I don’t think he has the authority to make you clean anything outside of the dorm anyway. That would be a prefect thing, not a captain thing.”

Henry can’t be bothered to contemplate any further now that he’s already decided August won’t be his captain anymore. He just shrugs and concedes, “I don’t know. It sounded real when I heard him say it, but I guess it’s possible I overreacted.”

“Fair enough.” Walter nods. “Well, you’re good now, anyway. He won’t hold it against you when you’re there bright and early for our next training session. I’ll make sure you are, don’t you worry.”

He steps closer to pat Henry on the shoulder for good measure. Henry can’t help welcoming the gesture with a smile, but it soon morphs into a grimace.

“Yeah, uh. About that.”

He meets Walter’s confused look with an awkward one and gestures towards his own bed. They both sit down on it – or rather, Henry sits down next to his pillow while Walter reclines at the other end. Once he’s done cushioning the back of his head with the hood of his school sweatshirt, he urges Henry to go on.

“Well, what is it? I’m getting a bit worried now.”

“It’s nothing to worry about, just… I wanted to tell you there won’t be a next training session, because I’m quitting the team.”

“What, because of today?” Walter furrows his brow. “Isn’t that a bit, uh. Overdramatic? You’ve been late plenty of times before, and you just said it’s possible you overreacted.”

“Not because of today.” Henry sighs. “I mean, today was a new low, but to be honest, I haven’t been feeling it for a while now. That’s why it’s so hard for me to drag my ass to practice.”

“But it’s always been hard for you to – oh.” Walter’s eyes widen, and he instinctively perches himself up a little higher. “So you just… I know rowing has never really been your thing, but have you just been hating it this whole time?”

“Not necessarily hating it. I mean, I even liked some bits. Like paired workouts with you and rowing a single on the lake.”

Walter hums in agreement; those are his favourite parts, too. Henry acknowledges that with a quick smile before going on, “But we don’t go out on the lake at all now that the water is freezing, and we hardly ever just do paired workouts. Most of the time, it just feels like being in – in military training or something. With August yelling at me at the crack of dawn or after a long day of school. And I really wanted to learn to enjoy it, because I loved doing the same activity as you, but I think it’s time to admit that’s never going to happen.”

Henry feels a tiny bit sad saying the last part out loud. He doesn’t want to bring them both down by justifying himself further. It’s a relief when Walter doesn’t push the subject, but not a surprise; Henry is just that lucky in his choice of a best friend.

“Then of course you have to quit. I don’t want you to stick with it for me if it just makes you miserable! I’m sorry if I’ve been too pushy about it.”

Henry quickly shakes his head. “You haven’t. You were just excited when we started out, and I’m the one who basically made you drag me along all this time. I would’ve never made it a whole term on the team if it wasn’t for you.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing, though?”

“Well, I don’t regret it, so I’d say it’s a good thing.” They share a smile, and Henry decides to wrap this up on a lighter note. “Anyway, I owe you. I’ll pay you back by cheering extra hard when you make the race crew.”

Walter’s expression turns into a smirk. “That’s the very least I expect from my best friend, though. Bit of a rubbish pay-off for all those mornings when I had to pull and pry the covers out of your death grip and drag you out.”

“Hmm, well…” Henry fakes serious consideration for a few seconds. “How about I turn up at all your races with a handmade ‘I heart Walter’ sign and a team shirt with your autograph? You don’t even need to sign it, I can fake your squiggle well enough.”

“Deal. But maybe just for the finals, I don’t want to make everyone else on the team jealous,” Walter muses. “In the meantime…”

He pushes off from where he was lounging and stands up, very narrowly escaping the trap of Henry’s sports bag on the floor. Once he’s firmly on his feet, he starts pulling the school hoodie up over his head. The random move elicits a burst of laughter from Henry, but as it turns out, it’s not a continuation of his team shirt joke after all.

“Why are you – oh, right. Here you go, fanboy.” Walter tosses the hoodie to Henry and snickers at the enthusiastic reception. “Anyway… I was going to say we can always do other stuff together in the meantime. Like Albin’s thing, which I just realised is probably starting soon. I’m just going to change into a darker sweatshirt and then we can head over.”

The change of subject is a tad sudden but not unwelcome. There’s nothing more that needs to be said on the topic of Henry quitting the team right now. They can and will come back to the details, but for now, it’s time to focus on happier things. Such as making the most of the Prefect being gone.

“So it’s Albin who’s organising the thing, whatever it is?” Henry gets up as well and smooths the dark green of his own hoodie. “Why do we need to dress dark? Are we hiding or something?”

“No, it’s just that it could get messy. That’s why they want to do it while August is gone and the Housemaster is taking his nap before dinner.”

“And are you going to tell me what it is? I don’t want to be the only one who doesn’t know when we get there.”

Walter pauses for a few seconds to build anticipation. Then he steps closer and puts his hands on Henry’s shoulders for the reveal. “We’re playing coffee pong.”

“Coffee pong,” Henry repeats slowly, trying to picture it. “Like uh. That beer game they play in the movies, but with coffee?”

Walter gives what can only be described as a giggle. “Yes! Isn’t that an awesome idea?”

At such a close distance, it’s virtually impossible not to catch at least part of his excitement, but Henry still has to ask, “Aren’t the tables in the common room a bit small for that? And what if the coffee spills and we burn ourselves?”

“There’s a bigger table on the second floor, and they’re letting the coffee cool first,” Walter explains sensibly. “So are you in? You don’t have to be, you can just watch and root for me. I’m not going to get pushy about it.”

That’s more than enough to melt Henry’s doubts away. Not that he had many to begin with, it sounds like an absolute blast. The exact arrangements are someone else’s problem.

So, he just moves his own hands to Walter’s shoulders and gives them an excited shake to confirm, “Of course I’m in! Who else is going to be there?”

They go on chattering while Walter finishes changing and Henry finds his charger to bring along. Then they make their way through the corridor, trying not to attract too much attention. Albin wants to keep the crowd small to lower the chances of the Housemaster discovering what they’re up to and shutting it down, so it will just be the first-years and a few second-years – at least to start with.

Just as they’re about to climb the stairs, Henry realises there’s at least one first-year who probably hasn’t been invited. Wille was still in the locker room when the others started putting this together, which means he won’t have heard of it in passing. Albin doesn’t know him well enough to text him about it, either.

Perhaps Henry should do the honours, then. He can’t claim to know Wille particularly well, but he’s still ahead of the curve. Besides, his new approach to befriending Wille mostly consists of inviting him along to do all kinds of stuff with them, whether it sounds fit for a prince or not. So why not this, too?

Also, it’s a good way to signal that they can just forget all about that awkward walk-by in the locker room, without Henry actually having to say anything about it.

For the second time today, Henry tells Walter to go ahead. They part on a mutual smile that still lingers on Henry’s face when he knocks on Wille’s door.

“Wille!” He waits for an answer, but when there is none, he raises his voice to call again. “Wille, are you there? It’s Henry.”

“Come in.”

It’s impossible not to hear that there’s a wary edge to Wille’s voice, but Henry manages to cling to the remains of his smile. He opens the door to see Wille sitting on his bed – the one on the left side of the room. He’s got his phone and one earbud in hand. The lack of response was probably down to him listening to music or scrolling on his phone. Possibly both.

“You busy?” Henry asks nonchalantly. “I came to ask if you wanted to hang with us. We’re playing coffee pong on the second floor.”

Wille’s voice comes out just as reserved as before but topped with a layer of disbelief. “Coffee pong?”

“Yeah. Albin’s idea. I’m sure there’s room on our team, or if you want, you can just come and root for us.” Henry tries to decipher if Wille recognises the concept or not, but the face staring at him is quite unreadable. Maybe he should explain it just in case. “It’s that game where –”

“About earlier,” Wille says at the same time. He cuts himself off when he realises Henry wasn’t done talking. “Sorry.”

“No, you can go first,” Henry offers. Half a second later, Wille’s words finally land in his brain, and he hurries to backtrack, “But uh, if you were going to say something about earlier, there’s no need.”

He hopes that might be the end of the matter. Alas, the reassurance doesn’t seem to work very well; Wille just nervously clenches his teeth. It would be rude to leave it at that, no matter how awkward the alternative. So, maybe Henry does have to elaborate, then. Best not make it any more intrusive than necessary.

“Look. If you’re worried about me telling people what you were talking about, don’t be,” he starts, fixing his eyes firmly on Wille’s white shirt instead of his face. “Because, erm. Because I didn’t even hear anything. I was hiding from August in the bathroom, and I got a bit lost inside my head. I didn’t even know it was just you guys left when I came out. And I swear I haven’t talked or even thought about it since I got back – I’ve been kind of busy telling Walter I’m quitting the rowing team.”

The explanation sounds really shoddy out loud, and Henry gets so self-conscious towards the end that his voice probably rings false. Wille’s look is making his face tingle and his every instinct is telling him to just yell ‘okay bye’ and quickly exit the scene, but he soldiers on. He brought this on himself by coming here.

After what feels like a very long silence, Wille simply goes, “You’re quitting the team?”

“Y-yeah. Um. Tomorrow,” Henry stammers in surprise. “But – it’s nothing to do with you guys.”

The tension cracks at last when Wille chuckles at the random addition, and its remains crumble when Henry joins in with a relieved laugh.

The great part about not being terribly close is that moments like this don’t have to go particularly deep. Henry wouldn’t know what to do or say if Wille suddenly started pouring his heart out, and Wille wouldn’t appreciate it if Henry tried to offer some thoughts on him and Simon. Mutual amusement and an understanding to just put the awkwardness behind them already make for a very good outcome – which might get better yet if Wille accepts the invitation.

Henry is just about to renew it when Wille asks in a more relaxed tone, “So you’re quitting the team because of August? Can’t say I blame you.”

“I don’t know. I guess he’s part of it, but mostly it’s just that I’d rather do something that’s actually fun. I’m thinking maybe one of the ballgames.” Henry tilts his head towards the door and lets one side of his mouth pull up. “Speaking of ballgames, are you coming to coffee pong or not?”

Wille takes a few beats to consider it. He looks at his phone, breathes a sigh that visibly makes his shoulders drop, and proceeds to take out the remaining earbud. “Yeah, alright. I guess I am.”

“Yes!” Henry cheers. “I knew you’d be up for it! Those second-years won’t stand a chance with the Crown Prince on our side.”

Wille grabs a dark shirt along when Henry suggests it, but he doesn’t plan on playing. He’s just coming to witness what sounds like a completely ridiculous but admittedly funny idea that’s going to be banned by the end of the night.

Henry can’t say he disagrees, but at least it’s not his own idea this time. He’s just going there to shoot a little ball into a bunch of mugs and have a few laughs with his friends and housemates, and that suits him very well indeed.

~~~

fin.

~~~