"I think it's a little farther away. Just a couple blocks down," Kaye explained with a small shrug as he walked through the door after Simon, closing it behind him. They found themselves in an alleyway and he grimaced, not very fond of these dark places where he found himself in most trouble…though this had been the way that he had met Simon after all.
Simon regarded the alley with more than a little apprehension, turning to face the street. “Right. Let’s go before we offend some gang.” He dragged a hand through his tangled hair, wishing he had a brush to sort out the messy curls.
Kaye nodded and began to walk down the alleyway, occasionally moving slightly to dodge a few murky puddles before the two made it on the street. He wasn't sure of what he could say to make conversation with Simon, and instead stuffed his hands in his jacket's pockets, trying to keep himself busy.
Simon glanced sideways at Kaye, who was silent. He cleared his throat, saying the first thing that came to mind. “Are you hungover at all? From last night?”
"No, not really," Kaye answered, shaking his head slowly since it had a slight throbbing feeling. He could handle his alcohol pretty well, though it always depended on what kind of drink he got. "How's the shoulder feeling?"
Simon has barely registered the pain until now that it had been pointed out. Drawn to his attention, the shoulder did hurt, but it was bearable, he could handle it. “It’s fine. Thank you.”
Kaye nodded and tugged on his bottom lip nervously, ignoring the pain it evoked from his stitches. He usually knew what to say around other people, though for some reason, being around Simon made him feel flustered and second guess most of what he said. Did this mean…he was he starting to like Simon? No. You can't. You're just friends, Kaye told himself. Just friends. And what made him think that Simon would ever feel the same way? He shook his head and released a sigh, his features almost appearing wound up and lost in thought.
Simon gave Kaye a quizzical look, searching his features for an indication of why he had gone quiet so quickly. “What’s on your mind?” The softness of his own voice surprised even him, and he cleared his throat to dispel it.
"Oh, it's–it's nothing," Kaye said, a bit of a stammer in his voice when he realized that Simon had spoken to him. "I'm just thinking about yesterday, that's all." Sure, he wasn't thinking about the fight specifically, though it would make sense for him to be wondering about the multiple incidents from last night. After all, he did have a few questions.
Simon raised an eyebrow but nodded, raising a hand to shield his eyes against the bright glare of the sun. He sighed, long and deep, and after a minute of grappling with himself, he spoke again. “If you have any questions about yesterday just… ask. I owe you that much.”
Kaye nodded and glanced up towards Simon, taking a moment to think and steady himself before he asked any questions. "Is your mom…is she alright?" He asked, his tone softening noticeably, which caught him off guard. It was rare for him to be so sensitive and calm, though somehow he felt as if he needed to be that way with Simon at times.
Simon gave a tense shrug, as if he didn’t care, though really it mattered the world to him. Why, he had no idea— why should he be this torn up about her? Why did she all of a sudden miss him? “I guess so. I don’t know much beyond what Erik said last night… I haven’t seen or been in contact with her for years.”
Kaye nodded, thinking back towards Simon's younger brother. The other man worried him a bit, with the lack of emotion and blank expressions, which made him wonder how Simon was even related to them. "Will you go and see her?" He asked after a few moments.
Simon fell silent for what felt like a long time, a mental battle raging on in his head. After a lengthy pause, he cleared his throat, careful to keep his eyes averted. “I don’t know.” His voice was hoarse, betraying the struggle behind the decision.
The distress behind Simon's words became noticeable and Kaye's brows drew together in concern, wondering if it was the wrong question to ask. The last thing he wanted was for the other man to be reminded of bad memories or things he'd rather not talk about. "We…you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he added after a long pause, carefully choosing his words, which was an odd change for him.
He gave another shrug, a useful, nondescript movement that was quickly becoming half his vocabulary. “It’s fine.” In truth, Simon wasn’t completely sure whether or not that was a lie. “You can ask whatever.”
A light frown quirked the corners of his lips down at Simon's shrug, unsure of what it meant. Did Simon not like the question? Kaye decided that the topic was a little too sensitive and tried to keep his thoughts from escaping himself in the process. "Oh, the diner should be right…here," he said, trailing off as they made it to a small diner, noticing it's more pastel tones, a drastic change next to most of the darker, brick shops.
Relieved for the sudden change in conversation, Simon let loose a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “It’s definitely very pretty..” he murmured, his grip on reality slipping.
Kaye glanced over towards Simon, worried if the other man was alright, though he tried for a small smile in an attempt to lift their spirits. "I've only been here a few times, but the food's nice," he explained, filling the silence as he opened the door for Simon. By good food, he meant that you could order one thing and get a lot, and since he was practically starving, it was perfect.
Simon ducked his head to enter, casting a long glance around the interior of the pleasant place. “Good food sounds fantastic.” He tried for a chuckle, though it came out strained. “I’m starving.”
"Same here," Kaye answered with a sigh, his lips quirking up in a quick smile, comfortable once he stepped into diner with Simon. It was almost as if the bright area seemed to have an effect on his behavior. As soon as the two stepped in, he spotted a small, empty booth and motioned for Simon to follow after him.
Simon drifted after, the familiar sense of being unmoored settling on his shoulders. He blinked rapidly to clear his muddled thoughts without much luck and slid into the seat across from Kaye. Allowing his eyes to trail over his surroundings, he was surprised to find that the usual feeling of discomfort in new situations didn’t come forth— a side effect of Kaye’s presence?
"Is everything alright?" Kaye asked curiously, his tawny gaze watching Simon as the other glanced around the diner. They seemed a little distant and unanchored in their surroundings, though perhaps it was just because Simon was in a new place.
Simon’s eyes snapped back to Kaye’s, the other man’s voice jolting him out of a muddled fog. “Hm? Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.” He rubbed subconsciously at the bandage on his shoulder, forcing himself to stay focused. “How are you feeling?”
"I'm good," Kaye answered with a light nod as he leaned forward on his elbows, propping his chin up on the palms of his hands, falling into a usual, comfortable position. Though, this position also brought back some sort of nostalgia from last night and its events, wondering if Simon remembered the fact that Kaye had practically been flirting with them. He really hoped not…though part of him knew that Simon would probably remember.
"The decorations are pretty nice, huh? I remember– I really like the forties. The diners and all that," Kaye said, covering up his small pause of silence and his minor slip up. Due to his…background, he had been alive for quite some time, so he had experienced that timeline.
Simon blinked, baffled by both the present tense used in Kaye’s sentence and the reminder of last night’s flirtations. “Remember?” he queried with a tilt of his head. “What do you mean by that?” Coughing slightly, he kept his eyes on Kaye’s tawny ones.
"Oh, my aunt used to have decorations in her house like these. That's what I…remember," Kaye lied, a small pause in his voice as he averted his gaze from Simon, suddenly feeling a bit open under the other man's mismatched eyes.
Simon was adept enough at lying to tell when someone else was doing it, and this time his bullshit-meter was spot on. He said nothing, though, only gave Kaye a dubious look and spread his hands as if to say ‘and…?’
Kaye opened his mouth to say something, though quickly shut it and frowned lightly, unsure of what to say. He wasn't sure that he wanted Simon to know all about him yet, though the other man was someone that he trusted already for some reason, even if they had only met a few days ago. "That's all. It just reminds me of places I've been," he said after a long pause, deciding that he might as well clear it up.
Simon let it go, waving a hand through the air as if to clear it. He cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away from Kaye’s and down to the neatly folded menu in front of him. “What are you thinking of ordering?” He had seen no evidence that Kaye was supernatural, therefore he had no reason to be suspicious. You’re a suspicious person… the voice in the back of his head whispered. Of course you’re doubtful…