Advent calendar: December 22nd
Art by besttablefork || Ficlet by theundeadsiren || Wordcount: 1.708 || Characters: Simon, Kieren || Pairings: Siren || Read it on Ao3
Aurora
“Hey, Kieren! Wait up!”
Kieren hesitated, turning to see Simon, a few paces behind him, struggling over the uneven ground. The path itself was just a few paces ahead, and it would get easier from there. The shortcut didn’t bother Kieren, but he realised, not for the first time, that Simon was new to this, and to hiking - not that they were actually hiking, or going far at all. Their destination was just over the crest of the hill which, in the moonlight, seemed further away than it really was. Below them, Roarton valley was spread out in grainy picture of hazy greys and shadows, the streetlights marking the outline of the village nothing more than dim orange flecks bleeding into the darkness below them.
Kieren loved it up here. As he waited for Simon to draw alongside, he drew in a breath, almost able to taste the clear night air. Even his eyesight, which had been noticeably poorer since his Rising, seemed improved, and looking up he saw each and every star above clearly.
“Ready?” he asked, turning to Simon, who nodded.
“Yeah, lead the way,” Simon said, turning for a moment to gaze out at the scenery below. They’d brought torches, but hadn’t turned them on. The moonlight was just about bright enough.
It became easier to walk when they reached the path, and Simon reached out to take Kieren’s hand, lightly holding it as they made their way towards the summit of the slope, both enjoying the meandering climb and the way their staccato steps caused them to press together every few second. The slope wasn’t that steep, and when they reached the top, a breeze caught Kieren’s hair and tugged at his clothing. The jacket he wore wasn’t necessary, but would be useful. Letting go of Simon’s hand, Kieren slipped the garment off, placing it on the ground and sitting down with a sigh. Something about the situation was stirring deep memories, and for a moment he felt cold - sharp needles of sensation stinging his skin. Shivering to rid himself of it, Kieren turned to Simon, tugging at his hand.
“Come on,” he urged. There was enough space on his own spread-out jacket for both of them, and he shuffled up another inch in invitation. It was thankfully too dark for Simon to have noticed his slight trembling, and by the time Simon sat down and wrapped his arms around Kieren, the sensation had gone.
“Do you know the names of any of them?” Simon asked, already turning to look upwards at the sky. He shifted, sitting behind Kieren so he could pull his boyfriend to his chest, legs either side and arms wrapped protectively around him. Kieren pressed backwards, enjoying the comforting presence.
“Just Orion,” he said, locating the constellation and pointing up. “And the Plough.”
He had to turn through almost a hundred and eighty degrees to locate the second form - one he’d known as a child as ‘the bent-handled saucepan’.
“See over there,” Simon said softly, pointing up at Orion and drawing his hand to the right. “And the stars that make a ‘v’ shape, and finish in a pentagram - see: one, two, three, four, five?”
He pointed them out, drawing his finger in the sky. Kieren squinted, trying to make out the ones he was being shown.
“Yeah?” he said, sure he’d got them.
“That’s Pisces.”
“Oh.” Kieren looked up, smiling. His hand tightened on Simon’s shoulder. “I didn’t know that.”
They sat in silence for several long, peaceful moments, before Kieren spoke again.
“So what else can you teach me?”
“Well in Orion, see at the start of his left arm? That’s Betelgeuse, and on the right is Bellatrix.”
“I didn’t know Betelgeuse was a star,” Kieren murmured, wondering when Simon had learnt all this. “What about Sirius? Isn’t Sirius up there?”
Simon was silent for a moment, searching, and then pointed. “There. If you follow the line drawn by Orion’s belt…”
The bright star was only just visible, and Kieren smiled, happy to have learnt something.
“What about your star sign, is that-”
Kieren stopped short, his voice sticking in his throat. Above them, the sky rippled and shimmered for a moment, an eerie, beautiful green ghosting over them. For a moment, Kieren wasn’t sure if he was imagining it. “Was that…?”
Behind him, Simon had tensed, bristling with energy. The colours came again, stronger this time, and Kieren tried to catch his breath.
“Oh my God, Kier,” Simon breathed. His grip on Kieren tightened, and Kieren wrapped his hand around Simon’s wrist, holding him back. Neither of them knew what to say.
Kieren struggled to think of anything he’d seen before which came anywhere close to the astonishing display above them. Green and white light danced and shimmered, rippling in waves across the sky with ethereal grace, leaving Kieren wide-eyed with awe. Something in his heart stirred at the otherworldly light, gripping tightly and making it feel for a moment as if his eyes were stinging with tears. He’d never seen anything so captivating before, and with the comforting weight of Simon behind him, Kieren stared up at the sky, spellbound.
He couldn’t say how long it went on for, but at one point Simon shifted, resting his head against Kieren’s and sighing softly. In that moment, Kieren thought he’d found perfection. In the valley below, everyone would be sleeping. This display was just for them.
When the colour faded, Kieren stared up for a long time, hoping for it to come back. He felt breathless, and his heart ached oddly. Simon seemed to recover much sooner, turning to kiss Kieren’s cheek gently. Words still didn’t come, so Kieren turned and returned the kiss, his lips grazing over Simon’s tenderly before he committed to it, twisting in Simon’s arms so as to hold him too.
“Do you want to head back now?” Simon asked quietly when they broke apart. Kieren shook his head, holding Simon that little bit closer.
“In a while.”
So they stayed. Simon showed Kieren the constellations he knew, and told him some of the myths behind them, and Kieren repeated the constellations back, as if it were a test. They were both hoping for the Northern Lights to come back, but as the time slipped by nothing changed above them, save the bright satellites thousands of miles above them arcing over the sky. Somehow Kieren knew the display was over, and felt a strange sadness at the loss. But he knew that that was what made it so beautiful: it was something so incredibly rare. Kieren didn’t know if he’d ever see it again.
When they finally stood up to head home, Kieren somehow felt stiff. Putting his coat back on, the same shivering sensation from earlier overtook him, and he wrapped his arms around him hurriedly, instinctively defending himself from something he was only remembering feeling.
“You all right?” Simon asked, unable to miss the uncharacteristic movement.
“Yeah, just remembering something,” Kieren assured him. He held out his hand, which Simon took. “Do you need the torch?”
“I think I’m okay.”
Hand in hand, they started slowly walking back towards the village, more focused on where their feet were going than the sky, although Kieren kept glancing up, smiling to himself. When the path was flat enough for him to look up without running the risk of tripping, he did.
And then, for the second time that night, Kieren froze, holding himself completely still. Simon stopped, the rigidity of Kieren’s grasp alarming him.
“Kier, what is it?”
“Si-”
Kieren’s eyes went wide, and he exhaled slowly, shaking. He didn’t understand it. It both scared and excited him. Somewhere, deep within his chest, he felt an echo - a murmur of movement long forgotten - and the breath he let out softly billowed out in front of him, the cloud of condensation barely there, but there nonetheless.
The implication of it overwhelmed him, and, unable to control the reflex, his breathing quickened and his chest tightened. Beneath his breast, he felt a flutter of movement and his eyes widened even more as he stared at Simon, not sure what to do.
“Kier, I- I can see your breath,” Simon stuttered. “I can see your- You’re breathing! You’re breathing? Oh my God, Kier, are you okay?”
The emotions that passed across Simon’s face did so in such rapid succession it caused Kieren to give a shaky laugh; nervous and uncertain.
“I don’t know,” he managed, his voice low. “I don’t know Simon. What do we do?”
“Let’s get you home, yeah?” Simon suggested, his expression settling on concerned.
“Okay,” Kieren nodded.
They resumed walking, their pace faster before, and when they reached the point where it was quicker to walk straight down rather than take the path, Simon didn’t hesitate to step onto the rougher terrain. As they went, the excitement in Kieren won out, and he found himself almost giddy. It must be the air, he decided. With each breath the sensations grew stronger: the air colder against the back of his throat and the clear taste fresher than he’d ever remembered it being. He wanted to laugh, the urge rising up within him as, with each step, he felt himself coming back to life. His hand tightened around Simon’s, and he could actually feel the ache in his cheeks from the grin he wore. He was starting to become aware of so many things he’d forgotten, and while it still felt frightening, Kieren felt far too excited.
They only two people awake in the world right then. The village, closer now, still slept. No one but Simon knew that as midnight on the 22nd of December approached, Kieren Walker started to live again.