Darby
Well,
that’s a coincidence.
Whatever he’d
expected to see when he walked into a tattoo parlour, it hadn’t been two men
engaged in a deep and, if appearances were anything to go by, passionate kiss.
Momentarily torn between leaving again and making his presence known, Kyle
shuffled his feet.
The man with his
back to Kyle broke the kiss and glanced over his shoulder, a shocked expression
crossing his face as soon as he spotted him.
“Shit. I’m sorry.
We sorta forgot where we were I guess. What can I do for you?” The slight blush
on the man’s face made him more, rather than less, attractive.
“I wonder if you’ve
time to set a tattoo for me.”
“Sure, what do you
have in mind?” The man stepped away from his kissing partner.
“I’ve got the
design I want right here.” Kyle pulled his wallet and extracted a piece of
paper featuring a dragon, peeking at it before handing it over.
That’s Darby, isn’t
it? It took the man, all of two seconds to recognise the creature. “I loved
that game when I was younger.”
“So did we,” Kyle
said. “Darby the Dragon™ comes with lots of very special memories for me.” He
hated that he couldn’t keep the sad tone out of his voice.
The man studied him
for a moment then led him to a chair. “Sit down and relax. I’ll be with you in
a few minutes.”
Kyle did as told.
The headrest felt comfortable and he closed his eyes, fighting the images
clamouring for his attention, determined to break him.
When something
pressed against his collarbone he returned to his surroundings only to look
away and turn his head as soon as the tattooist started his gun and proceeded
the work.
“What’s your best
memory about playing the game?”
The question took Kyle
by surprise. He didn’t look at the man as he answered. “Playing it with my twin
brother.” He couldn’t help himself, the words tumbled from his lips. “We used
to do everything together until two weeks ago.” A tear escaped from his still
closed eyes.
If the artist
noticed his display of emotion, Kyle was unaware of it. The tattoo gun
continued its assault on his skin, every painful prick welcomed and treasured.
“What happened two
weeks ago?” the man asked. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, of
course.” His voice was soft, almost hypnotic.
“He came out to our
parents.” Kyle swallowed hard. “They gave him fifteen minutes to pack his bags.
I was in work when it happened. When I came home he was gone.”
He opened his eyes
and turned to face Troy. “I want that dragon rainbow coloured.”
“You came to the
right parlour then.” The tattooist smiled kindly. “Is this a show of support
for your brother?”
“They haven’t asked
me the question.” Kyle said. “I guess it’s a ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ situation.”
Pain and anger stabbed at him with much more force than the tattoo gun ever
could. “I guess it won’t be much longer before they’ll realize they’ve lost
both their sons.”
****
522 words
I have to admit to
being somewhat sneaky this week. Tomorrow my new book Patience
will become available for early download on the Pride Publishing website. One
of the main characters in that story happens to own a tattoo parlour in Dublin.
While the setting and characters in my flash are not related to those in Patience, I had to take advantage of this
minor promo opportunity. I do hope you’ll forgive me and that you’ve enjoyed
the story.
Other stories based
on either this or a related image can be found in the Monday Flash Fics Facebook
group.
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