The morning after the wake was sunny and bright, the sky a shining blue. Amy was dead, properly this time, and the weather couldn't even have the decency to be grim and bleak. As Kieren sat up in bed and looked out the window, he wondered if this was what it had been like the day after his own funeral. You always imagine that when a loved one passes away, the world would stop turning. That life couldn't possibly go on, not when they were gone. But Kieren had lost two people now. Amy, who should not have been lost. Not someone so beautiful, so full of life even when she wasn't really alive. And Rick, who Kieren had been forced to lose twice. Kieren knew by now that the world doesn't stop, even though a part of you wants it to. People go on fucking, eating, working. People kept on hating and loving.
And thank God they did, because if they didn't, there would not be an undead Irish disciple laying in bed beside Kieren.
PDS people couldn't sleep, not properly. They didn't really have dreams, they couldn't enter the REM cycle. It was more like a trance that they would enter into it, when mental exhaustion kicked in. Kieren imagined that must have been what Simon was doing at the moment, since he laid beside Kieren with his eyes shut, his body not even twitching.
As the wake had ended, Simon had tried to leave, obviously feeling uncomfortable being around Simon's parents and Jem after everything. But Kieren had asked him to stay. It hadn't been some romantic request, or anything indecent. Kieren had simply put an arm across the door, stopping Simon from opening it, and stating that he didn't want to be alone, not tonight. Simon had glanced at Kieren's parents, who had given brief nods of permission. It wasn't really their policy to let potential boyfriends sleep over, but they'd lost Kieren once before because he had felt alone, they weren't going to let that happen again if they could help it.
Simon had paused, staring at Kieren with that considering expression that he so often used when regarding Kieren. Then he'd nodded, and stepped away from the door, slipping his coat back off and setting it on the bench. He'd stood awkwardly there until Kieren had informed his parents that they were going upstairs. Kieren had lead Simon up to his room, and they'd sat on the bed, not really speaking much. They talked a little about Amy, about how Kieren had first met her, until that became too painful a subject. Simon brought up Maxine Martin and what might happen to her, but Kieren had no interest in speaking about her then. Eventually they'd laid down on Kieren's bed, and the rest of the night was a blank slate to Kieren now.
It was obvious now that they'd both fallen "asleep" and at some point Kieren's Dad must have come to check on them, because they were now covered with a blanket from the downstairs sofa. Kieren shifted under it now, looking down at Simon. "Simon?" he spoke softly, in case the Irish man really was passed out. But Simon's eyes opened almost immediately, pin prick circles peering up at Kieren.
"Hiya," Simon replied, sitting up, quirking a brow at the blanket covering them. Kieren shook his head, holding up his hands in automatic defense. "It wasn't me. Must have been one of my parents."
Simon smiled a bit. "Yeah I know, it was your Dad. You never stirred, ye sleep like the dead y'know."
"I think you mean the undead," Kieren corrected, before his conscience reminded himself that Amy was gone, and now wasn't the time for making jokes. He frowned, looking away from Simon and plucking at the blanket.
Simon's smile disappeared as he pushed back the blanket, placing a hand on Kieren's arm. "Hey. What is it?"
"Just can't believe she's gone. She was probably the least afraid to die out of all of us, but she was the last one who ever should be gone. It's too soon...it's not fair," Kieren whispered, still not looking back up at Simon.
Simon almost made a comment about how life wasn't fair, before taking pause, remembering previous interactions with Kieren. Staring at the younger man for a moment, Simon instead chose to envelop Kieren in his arms, letting the silence speak for itself.