Chapter Text
It’s only been a week of living here but the grey hue and continuous drizzle make the days blend together. Wille was prepared for rain, warned by many that the Seattle winter was no better than Stockholm’s, but as he explained, at length, this move has never been about the weather.
A semester as an exchange student in high school brought him to the US for the first time and he cherishes the memory. When your family is as well-known and controversial as his, anonymity is rare.
Wille loved being able to escape to Portland. While the city itself wasn’t his cup of tea, the Pacific Northwest quickly became his home away from home. And ultimately, Portland served him well for that semester. He explored a creative side he had never entertained previously, journaling nearly every day.
Boris, his therapist, initially recommended writing as a tool to process his anxiety and panic attacks. Quite reluctant and embarrassed at the thought of putting his feelings into words, Wille avoided it all together at first, but Boris saw through his laundry list of excuses and challenged him to give it a try. Wille has been hooked ever since. Whether it is prose or fiction or his favorite, poetry; Wille started writing like he was running out of time.
It was bittersweet for his parents who had practically forced him into therapy to “sort out his emotions” before he went to college and ultimately took over the family business. They were not too keen to learn that Wille wanted to transform this tool and passion into a career. His parents only permitted this pursuit with the promise of a double major in English and business, holding out hope that he would change his mind.
Wille always knew he would end up back in the Pacific Northwest, much to his parents’ dismay.
Ultimately, Seattle feels like coming home.
Wille treasures the early morning gloominess and greenery everywhere. He has never lived somewhere that is so lush. There is inspiration all around between the lakes, mountains, and cityscape. Alpenglow renders him speechless every sunset, unsure of how anyone could become complacent to such beauty. Wille chuckles at the thought that his parents ever doubted that he was a poet. A sensitive, queer kid who loves nature and reading. Some hard truths are simply easier to digest in hindsight.
Although he wants to stay in bed with his journal and a good book, Wille is excited about this new opportunity. Garfield high school is in the heart of downtown Seattle near Capitol Hill; notoriously artsy and queer.
Wille is eager for the opportunity, even if it is a substitute position to start. He hopes he can charm the administration enough that they might consider hiring him as permanent staff. Only time will tell.
Wille chooses a collared shirt and jumper, sifting through his still full moving boxes for a rain jacket to weather the drizzle.
He gathers what feels like only the essentials as far as reading, writing, and teaching goes but chuckles at the thought of if his best friend, Felice could see him right now. His childhood best friend is likely still sound asleep after a late night at her restaurant in New York. It is a miracle that they both wound up in the US after growing up together halfway across the world. Despite the time difference, he doesn’t dare interrupt her beauty rest with a face time of his ridiculous stack of books for his first day. He settles on a self-timer picture and sends it to her, like a kid on their first day of school.
Dodging rain drops with his messenger bag over his stack of books, Wille makes his way to his new workplace. The bus ride is fairly uneventful, albeit a touch late. Luckily, he gave himself ample time before he was due to meet a Principal Kim who will give him a tour.
The school entrance is unassuming and historic looking for the area. Most of Seattle is so new and shiny, old brick like this feels like a different time period entirely. Wille lingers in the entryway, letting his coat drip dry as he shakes his wet mop, allowing himself a moment to breathe before continuing; relax his shoulders, roll them gently, breathe through his nose, and…
he feels the air leave his lungs in a shutter as he processes his books and notebooks scattering to the ground.
His eyes shoot open, and he loses all sense of rational thought as he takes in the sight of the man who knocked his books to the floor.
Soft, ringlet curls surround a sculpted jaw. Glowing golden skin barely showing a blush as he appears to process the disaster that is unfolding between the two. His eyes are deep brown and distracted but warm in a way that makes Wille’s heart swell.
The handsome stranger returns his look with an apology,
“Herregud! Shit, I’m so sorry”
Wille stops in his tracks, frozen in the moment at the familiarity of the casual Swedish that slipped from this gorgeous man’s mouth. Is his mind playing tricks on him? Did this handsome stranger just slip into Swedish?
Self-restraint out the window and curiosity winning out, Wille responds,
“What did you just say?”
Completely oblivious to how accusatory the question was until he notices a subtle eye roll as the man retorted,
“I’m sure you’ll hear way worse in the hallways between classes”
Cursing his own tone and implication, Wille quickly repeats the stranger’s Swedish sentiment back to him,
“Herregud”
Unable to control the giddy toothy smile spreading across his face, Wille boldly transitions to his native tongue to test the waters,
“Mitt namn ar Wilhelm but you can call me Wille.”
Relief pools as he manages to regain some composure while the handsome man in front of him flounders at this new information. Eager to explain himself, Wille starts,
“I am so sorry- let me take all of those. Thank you so much.”
Unable to hide his own embarrassment Wille continues,
“I’ve just haven’t heard anyone else speak Swedish since I’ve moved here. I thought I was the only one, which sounds stupid now that I say it out loud because Seattle is like four times the size of Stockholm so there is bound to be someone who speaks Swedish…. But still”
Mirroring his smile, the man extends his hand,
“Simon. I am the music teacher and choir director here.”
Wishing he could reciprocate the gesture, Wille nods at the attention and eye contact while balancing his neatly stacked books, thanks to Simon.
The moment lingers, palpable chemistry suspended in time, interrupted by the morning bell.
Simon nods toward what he can only assume is his classroom and ushers away.
Wille stays exactly as Simon left him, doing his best to regain some semblance of composure before finding Principal Kim’s office.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long as the principal waves at Wille from the top of the split-level staircase.
A simple, professional woman with sensible shoes to compliment her knee length skirt and cardigan. Chin length hair cut sharp against her jaw with high apple cheeks, she exudes warmth.
“Wilhelm Larsson?”
“Yes it’s so great to meet you finally!”
“Why don’t you follow me to your new classroom so we can set down your books before we take a look around.”
Wille collects his thoughts and forces his attention back to the moment, focusing on following his new boss.
They walk through a hallway that feels like every other school he’s ever been in. Cork boards with announcements litter the black space between classrooms. Fluorescent lights hum above. The door Principal Kim gestures to envelops him with warmth. It has a level of organization that he would likely disrupt despite his best efforts, with neatly labeled bins and bookshelves. His heart swells at the pride flag hanging next to the whiteboard. The simplicity of the symbol, however small in the expanse of the room, makes him feel seen.
Wille loves living in a queer city. Although Sweden is impressive when it comes to human rights, his own circle of privilege was far less accepting of his identity or lack thereof. Wille is queer. The nuance and fluidity of such an identity was what appealed to him most. He likes who he likes, men, women, cis, and trans. He isn’t fixated on gender as much as he is focused on personality and energy.
Wille’s parents are conservative business folks who have very clear expectations of their youngest, which include marrying a ‘proper’ woman and producing heirs to their family business. It has always been infuriating because Wille likes women, but he does not want to be confined to them, especially the kind that his parents would “approve of”.
The emotion of the memory sits heavy in his throat as Principal Kim brings him back to reality. She points out the stacks of folders containing the lesson plans Mrs. Marietta had started.
“Mrs. Marietta told me that she completed enough lesson plans for 10 weeks but those didn’t start until later in the school year. She expected to have another two months to prepare the remainder before the twins arrived… but obviously they had other plans.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. I actually enjoy prepping curriculum.”
A shy smile at his nerdy admission spreads. Principal Kim responds in kind.
“I really appreciate your willingness to start early and take on this extra work. We are short staffed as it is, and you just can’t predict or prepare for these types of situations. Even with as thoughtful as Mrs. Marietta is, no one could have predicted she would go into labor so early.”
“I am really sorry it’s under these circumstances, but I am glad I can be here to help. How is the family holding up? How are the babies?”
“They have a long road ahead of them. The babies will be in the NICU for several months. They were born at only 28 weeks, so they need a lot of help. They have to be in incubators to maintain their temperature and blood sugars. The girl, Isla is feisty, I guess. She was the bigger twin too. She only needs CPAP. I didn’t even realize they made CPAP masks that small! All I could think of is my grandpa Joe and his CPAP equipment when he lived with us. Anyway, the boy, Luca is smaller and needs a lot more support. He is intubated with a breathing tube and ventilator. My heart goes out to them. I’ve been checking in with her and her partner to see what I can do.”
“I can’t even imagine how hard that must be. Please let me know if I could help at all. I’d love to drop off some food or a home cooked meal to them.”
“That’s very thoughtful Wilhelm. Thank you… Shall I continue the tour so you know your way around and then you can come back and settle in?”
Eager to look around more, Wille follows his boss as she gives very detailed descriptions of his colleagues and their lives while walking past their rooms. He is learning that Principal Kim is a talker, the kind of woman who gives a lot of context for even the most seemingly insignificant anecdotes. It adds whimsy to an otherwise ordinary tour, that is until they made it to the teachers’ lounge. Silence falls when Principal Kim walks in the room. Although friendly and bubbly, she commands attention in a way that is impressive and intimidating.
“Folks this is Wilhelm Larsson, a new teacher joining our district, filling in for Mrs. Marietta while she is on maternity leave”
Suddenly nervous with all of the attention on him, Wille takes a deep breath before managing,
“Thank you for having me. It’s nice to meet you. Forewarning, I’m awful with names but I’ll do my best. And please call me Wille.”
It was then that Wille notices the beautiful music teacher he nearly knocked over this morning. Butterflies threatened to derail him, a faint blush creeping up his neck as he fights to maintain his composure.
Principal Kim comes to his rescue,
“Well then Wilhelm, let’s keep with the tour. Thank you everyone and have a great long weekend!”
Emboldened as he turns to follow suit, Wille addresses the elephant in the room,
“Nice to see you again Simon”
He is grateful for Principal Kim’s fast pace so he didn’t have to wait for a response.
What was he thinking?
Luckily, he didn’t have the luxury to indulge that anxiety. Instead, turning his attention back to Principal Kim as she starts a new tangent about the cafeteria food. Wille hums affirmatively, half listening while he tries to push thoughts of Simon to the side.
He hasn’t felt such a magnetic attraction to someone in so long. His energy is captivating, and it doesn’t help that he is easily the most attractive person he’d ever laid eyes on. Even if Simon isn’t interested in Wille romantically, he knows that he will welcome whatever kind of relationship Simon would give him. He just wants to get to know this angelic, mysterious man who speaks Swedish.
He’ll make an effort to do so. Boris will be proud of him, taking risks and putting himself out there. It has always been so easy for Wille to withdraw but not this time- not anymore. This is a new chapter for him and he is excited to finally be the author of his own future.