The Heir Apparent

The boy had offered his name. It sounded vaguely familiar in the same way his face felt familiar, but once again it hung there on the tip of his tongue. He was sure it would come to him eventually. “I’m Kaoru,” he said. “It’s uh… it’s nice to meet you, Flynn.”

The name didn’t taste right on his lips. He didn’t know why.

“So… what are you trying to get away from?” he asked, looking upwards towards the sky. He wished he could see the stars, but the light pollution made it impossible. “Everyone who needs to get away is getting away from something. What’s your something?” Maybe that was too personal to ask right off the bat, but Kaoru was a bit out of practice when it came to conversation. Besides, maybe the kid needed to talk. Why else would he be out here right now all alone? Maybe it was better he found someone who was willing to help, rather than someone trying to hurt him.

“Thanks.” Rory Flynn flicked ash and tried to blow smoke rings, a trick he had never yet been able to fully master, much to his frustration. “My... my dad keeps confiscating mine. Bit hypocritical of him, all things considered.” Yes, he can turn Jonny into his father, because Kaoru doesn’t need to know the real truth, and nobody needs to know that it was Billy who forced him to smoke that first time, something Rory Flynn didn’t feel like thinking about.

Kaoru. It wasn’t a name Rory Flynn had heard before, and he didn’t question if it was the other young man’s real name or an alibi.

Don’t be so paranoid, a little voice in Rory Flynn’s head said to him. Normal people were not paranoid, and he was playing normal, just another bored kid looking for some fun on a warmish night, nothing more. Hell, as Flynn, Rory Flynn could be normal for once.

Kaoru could think of several reasons not to talk to this kid, but none of them really seemed to hold much weight in comparison with the urge to not be lonely. So what if the kid looked like he could be trouble and they were in vigilante territory? Kaoru wasn’t a part of any of those groups, so they had no reason to come after him. He didn’t have any money or notoriety, just a past coke habit, and now that he was clean they couldn’t even sell to him. He doubted anyone would care about who he was.

“Oh, uh… sure,” he said, digging another one out of the pack and handing it over as the kid approached. He sort of reminded him of himself when he was young… “I mean, I’m not one to condone smoking or anything. It’s a terrible habit, but… yeah.” He felt like a damned hypocrite, but considering his old habits, he still felt like he was doing pretty good.

He lit the end of the boy’s cigarette for him, studying his face, trying to figure out where he recognized him. He knew he had seen that face… He was pretty sure it was back several years ago. He’d been high as fuck then, so the memories were a little hazy, but he definitely knew this kid. “So, what are you doing out here all by yourself so late at night?” he asked. “Everything okay?”

Rory Flynn rolled his eyes. This stranger couldn’t have been more than ten years older than him, but still treated him like a little kid. It was boring, and Rory Flynn was sick of being treated like he was fragile, like if he swore or even looked at alcohol, he’d be corrupted just like that. Everyone, teachers, the other Boys, Nor, Jonny, even Billy, had done that, like Rory Flynn was a dumbass and not even aware of how the world worked. It was boring, and a little insulting, and Rory Flynn hated being insulted.

But the stranger didn’t recognize him, and that was good. He wasn’t a Brigid Boy, that much was clear, and he looked too young to be a cop, but with them, you could never tell. But cops seemed to have Rory Flynn‘s face memorized, so that meant he was probably in the clear on that front. So the stranger was either a vigilante or some poor asshole minding his business. Rory Flynn could work with either, as long as he was careful and didn’t give anything too major away.

Kaoru had no idea what was going on. He’d just gotten off of work and stepped out into the cold night air. The craving to do something insane or wild was hitting him in the teeth particularly hard tonight. The monotony of his day to day life tend to weigh him down after a while, and it made him long for the old days and the fun he’d had.

It hadn’t really been fun, he reminded himself. He was just lonely.

He did indulge just a little bit, stepping into a convenience store to buy a pack of cigarettes. It was harder than the caffeine he’d been living off of, but it was a lot better than what he would have gotten a few years ago, so he figured it was a wash. Once he got out he eagerly opened them up and placed one between his lips, lighting it and taking a long drag off of it. Too long. He ended up getting too much smoke in his lungs and having to cough it out, doubling over. When he got it out of his system he stood back up to full height, eyes watering, and he realized he wasn’t alone in the parking lot.

A teenager. Familiar, but… Kaoru couldn’t quite place where he knew him from.

But minding his business was boring, for his business was just school and hockey and stealing beers with Danny. Hardly a fun time at all, if you asked him. It wasn’t half as fun as looking for trouble.

And when Rory Flynn went looking for trouble, it usually found him.

Maybe that was why Rory Flynn had wandered deep into vigilante territory, far from the watchful eyes of fellow Brigid Boys, and maybe it was why he left his iPhone at home, safely charging on his bed. Maybe it was why he ran his keys along the side of cars as he walked, and why he thew a rock threw a darkened window and stood only a block away as its owners called police who would never come

But trouble didn’t find him there, so Rory Flynn kept walking.

The cigarette caught his eye. He could spot a lighter and a smoldering butt anywhere and wasn’t above bumming one off of a stranger, friend or foe. Maybe that was why he drifted, ghostlike, across the parking lot.