kaoru-takagi-blog

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

theyoungweir:

“On the corner of 5th and E street. It’s easy to miss but there’s a big pink sign out front. It’s small but not super crowded.”

“That’s ideal. I’m not really a crowd person... but, yeah, awesome, when would you like to go together? I’m free a lot of the time.”

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

roryflynn-sullivan:

“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’s question hit deep, and Rory Flynn used his cigarette to cover his hesitation. The truth was… complicated but spinnable. “Some stuff at home, you know? Pressure and shit.” he shrugged, keeping it purposely vague in the hopes that Kaoru would not pry more, would not play therapist to him. “And my dad’s got some people staying over, so it’s wicked loud at home, and I just wanted some peace and quiet.” He paced slightly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “What about you?”

“The opposite, I guess,” Kaoru said. “It got too quiet back at my apartment. I just needed to experience some civilization. Seems like it’s one of those grass-always-greener situations.”

Kaoru knew it was silly, but he liked to believe in things like fate that intertwined people together in some fashion or another. Maybe he just liked the idea that he had been destined to be a fuck-up so that at least he didn’t have to blame himself for his mistakes. Either way, for the moment he felt that he and Flynn had unwittingly sought one another out in the way only two people could, and Kaoru was just desperate enough for friendship that he was willing to reach out. “Well, hey, uh... I’m a pretty quiet guy,” he offered sheepishly. “You’re welcome to hang out with me for a bit if you need some peace and quiet. I don’t really have money, and I’m not sure what there is to do around town, but... I mean, we could even just go on a walk.”

Did that sound creepy and skeevy? He sure hoped not. He really needed to practice his conversation skills. He just hoped that the kid could sense his sincerity and know he meant no harm. He suspected the kid dealt with enough trouble as it was, so maybe he’d know an innocent sort when he saw one. 

“You don’t have to, of course!” he managed to add in the hopes of making it sound a little less... uncomfortable. “I’m just saying, is all... I mean, I didn’t really have anything to do tonight. I didn’t move back to Boston that long ago, and I don’t really run with the same people I used to, so I don’t...”

I don’t have any friends. Well, now he was just sounding rather pathetic.

“I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with myself,” he said instead. 

I Wanna Get Better || Rory and Kaoru

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

roryflynn-sullivan:

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.

“Hey, we’re all gonna die someday, right?” He inhaled quickly, eyes watering and lungs burning, like he was some dumb teenager who was just trying to look cool. The way the stranger was eyeing him, like he recognized him, made Rory Flynn a bit nervous. Maybe he should have worn a hoodie, or even a baseball hat, to hide his face a bit more. Too late now. “Uh… Yeah. Just needed some time to myself, you know?” He shrugged, because it was mostly true. “I’m Flynn, by the way.” A lie, but only halfway. He stuck his hand out.

“Yeah,” Kaoru said softly, looking away from the boy’s face and out towards the parking lot. “I do know what you mean. You’re welcome to have some of mine. I tend to have entirely too much time to myself these days.” He exhaled smoke softly, tapping ash onto the asphalt between his feet.

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.

I Wanna Get Better || Rory and Kaoru

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

Perjury, or a time your character was found guilty of lying about something important

There was blood everywhere.

That was what Kaoru remembered the day his father had found out about his coke habit.

It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten a nosebleed at home, but it was definitely the worst one. He remembered thinking that it was a crime that they had light-colored carpet as he scrubbed uselessly at a bright red stain. His father had come in, and the air had stalled in the room.

Kaoru had looked up at him from on his knees, and he’d felt very, very young and very, very small. “I’m sorry,” he had said awkwardly. “I had a nosebleed.”

It wasn’t a lie, but it sure as hell felt like one.

His father had looked from the stain to Kaoru’s eyes, sighed softly, then crouched down to help with the scrubbing.

He said nothing for several moments.

Then, “Kaoru, we need to talk about this.”

Kaoru jolted like the man had yelled, even though he hadn’t raised his voice. “Talk about what exactly?”

“Do you take me for a fool?” he’d asked, not looking up from his scrubbing. “You think I haven’t noticed?”

“Noticed what?”

“The way your grades slipped, the weight loss, your jittery behavior? You know your teachers have called me about you skipping classes. You know the neighbors have been claiming you’ve stolen things from them. Hell, I’ve noticed the things that have gone missing around here. What exactly are you doing?”

When he looked up, his expression was still very carefully neutral and distant, just like it always was, but Kaoru still felt like sinking into the floor under it.

“I’m not... doing anything...” he said only after he couldn’t bare to look back at him, instead staring at the floor. “School’s just been... difficult lately.”

“Perhaps if you were home studying in the evenings instead of god-knows-where, it wouldn’t be so difficult.”

Kaoru’s teeth clicked together, his jaw tightened so fast. “How would you know I’m not here? You’re the one that’s never home.”

It was as brazen as he’d ever gotten towards his father, and it felt... well, not as a good as he’d hoped.

His father didn’t flinch, didn’t falter. “I am here now. Now, I’m going to ask you again. What are you doing?”

Kaoru balked. “i’m not doing anything!”

He grabbed Kaoru harshly by the chin, shutting him up. “Tell me. Now.” He still hadn’t raised his voice, but the gravity of the statement hung heavy in the air.

That would have been the opportunity, Kaoru would think later, to change the course of his life before it got too out of control. That would have been the perfect moment to fess up to his mistakes and flaws and, more importantly, to ask for help escaping them. He could still remember the spark in his father’s usually dull eyes, the hint of desperation hiding under his detached expression. His father was not an emotional man, but he was seeking a connection then, some way to reach out to his son... Kaoru hadn’t realized what it was then though, nor had he had the hindsight to capitalize on the moment.

So, he said, again, “I’m not doing anything.”

And his father had promptly said, “then you can not do anything somewhere else. Get out.”

It was the last time he saw him until he got sober.

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

theyoungweir:

“Trust me, I know all the good cheap ones. Have you seen Corner Cafe?  It’s a little small but the coffee’s pretty good.”

“I haven’t been there. I’m gonna have to go there sometime. Where is it at in Southie? I’m pretty familiar with the city, though it’s changed a lot during the time I was gone.”

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

roryflynn-sullivan:

Mind your fucking business. It was a lesson Billy had practically beat into him, but not one that had ever stuck. Rory Flynn’d always been too cocky, too curious, to listen to that, even though God knew it was probably the only piece of Billy’s advice that would keep his miserable ass alive.

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.

“Got a spare?”

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?”

I Wanna Get Better || Rory and Kaoru

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

I Wanna Get Better || Rory and Kaoru

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.

“Uh... hey,” he greeted cautiously, putting the cigarette back in his mouth. He didn’t choke this time.

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

the--unlucky--liar:

“Yeah. Still on my own terms too,” ze nodded. There were some times ze wondered if things would be easier if ze just joined up with the Brigid Boys, but with Billy dead and the police cracking down on them again the cons seemed to outweigh the pros.

“Hasn’t really been easy, what with the cops all kicking back into gear after Sullivan got shot down and all, but I’m still standing.”

“Yeah, I uh... I heard about that when I got back. The streets have been really messy over all of that kind of stuff. I’m kind of glad I got out of all of that just so I wouldn’t get roped into it. I don’t know if being sober makes that much of a difference-- I’m still broke, and I’m still not cool... but at least the mobs aren’t coming down on my head”

“Do you ever think of just... getting out of it? Taking a different path?”

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

blake-callaway:

It’s not that illegal. Besides, if you hear someone coming, you just act confused like you are right now, like you didn’t realize you weren’t supposed to be there. 

His name’s Dylan. Curly-ish hair. Early 20s. Works as a stripper. 

I’m pretty sure pretending to work at a place you don’t work in is illegal. It’s gotta be like... fraud, or something.

Also, how do you keep meeting these kind of people? How do you know a stripper?

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

theyoungweir:

“Yeah of course not,” she laughed a little. “D’you have any places you like to go to? If so we could meet there sometime?”

“I go for runs in the mornings. I also really like coffee, so a coffee shop? I’ve been trying to find a cheap one.”

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

blake-callaway:

Mm, forgot about that term. Kinda puts me in a tight spot. Could always ask that other guy, but he wouldn’t be too eager to do this either…Wait, you’re a janitor? Where do you clean? I mean, it doesn’t really matter, you could go in with the uniform, and shit, and then sneak into the police’s records room! They gotta have some information on contract killers. 

I only do cleaning at my dad’s office, and why are you so dead set on me doing illegal things?!

And who’s the other guy?

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

blake-callaway:

Well, they do after you kill the person. The money upfront isn’t that much. It’s just a deposit. So we find some low level guy, then climb up the ladder. 

We? I already said I wasn’t gonna do anything that’d put me back in prison, all right? And even low level guys are expensive. Where are you gonna get the deposit to even begin with? If you were looking for money from me then you’re out of luck because I can barely feed myself. I’m a janitor, for God’s sakes.

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

the--unlucky--liar:

“Oh-oh you’re that kid,” ze looked him over, “Always wondered where you went.” That was a complete lie, but it was better than admitting ze’d hardly blinked when the kid disappeared. “You got clean I take it? I mean, you sure look better than you did.”

“Yeah, I uh... yeah, I did. I dunno how far it got me, but I’m at least sober I guess. Are you uh... still working?” he hoped that wasn’t the wrong thing to ask.

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

blake-callaway:

I dunno, adults can do a lot. Most of them choose not to. There’s like a dozen datelines I’ve seen where people hire hitmen, can’t be that hard. 

Yeah, but like, not only shouldn’t you do that for ethical reasons, but like... hitmen cost like thousands upon thousands of dollars. 

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

Awesome! It’s gonna be great. You won’t regret it.

Fine! Okay. You win.

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

What makes you think I’d even be able to do that?

Oh…I mean, I knew that. What do you take me for? So you’ll help me seek out a hit-man, then? 

[kaoru-takagi-blog]

Come on, go with me. It’ll be fun.

You have no idea how tempting that is!