TOUCH | F. Hargreeves

06

Those pills had been a blessing and a curse for dear Beau who often had a love/hate relationship with them. They made him lack feeling most of the time and his mind go fuzzy. He noticed it affected his ability to read minds which was definitely a plus in his eyes. Beau couldn't focus well on his academic work and although the pills made him drowsy he still had trouble sleeping. Major side effects of ridding himself of the sadness.

To say Five was acting strange around Beau was the understatement of the year. After showing his clear hatred towards him for years, doing his best to 'break' him - whatever that meant - he had started being... kind? Or at least he was acting that way. When Beau walked into a room, Five was there to ask how he was feeling. When Five saw Beau sitting alone, he took it upon himself to sit closeby. When Beau was playing a match of chess with Vanya or talking to Klaus, Five was never faraway, putting in his two cents. It all, of course, irritated Beau as he glared, scowled and told him to 'get lost' because was odd and it confused him.

A Sunday afternoon was a day Beau generally liked to be left alone, even more than every other day, though Five had sat on the couch across, happy to eye him now and then contently. Beau sighed and continued to read his book, some fantasy novel he was half paying attention to as his annoyance slowly grew and boiled the blood in his veins. Feeling eyes on him once again, Beau rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck absentmindedly as he tried to distract himself from the burning gaze.

"I don't hate you, you know." Five blurted suddenly causing Beau to look up with raised eyebrows, eyeing that expression that he hated so much.

Finding it weird but deciding to play it off, Beau hummed and went back to his book, "Could have fooled me."

Five sighed heavily and dropped his head to his hands, elbows resting on his knees as he hunched over, "I know I was cruel to you and I'm sorry-"

"Is that supposed to excuse everything you have done to me?" Beau peered up, eyes holding fury but his face remaining blank, "What did I ever do to you, Five?"

As far as Beau knew he hadn't done anything to cause such a reaction from the boy. From the first moment they met Five had been nothing but rude, he was a bully, to put it bluntly, and Beau didn't have a clue as to why he would deserve it. Maybe Five just didn't like him but that would never excuse the pain he had tried to cause Beau every day for years, which he had ultimately failed at, however.

"Nothing!" Five exclaimed, raising his head swiftly to catch Beau's gaze, "You did nothing. It was all me and I... well, I don't know why."

Beau couldn't believe him, how could he? After everything, he had done? No, he didn't want to believe. Beau scoffed and discarded the book beside him, "Well, you know where to find me when you figure it out." He stood and turned his back.

"Beau!" Five called after him causing Beau to stop, "I really am sorry. I never hated you but I-I guess I thought I did." He was now standing, useless hand gestures being thrown around as if to put his point across clearer.

"How could you mistake hatred for anything else?"

"Please, I don't know, Beau. Please." Five pleaded, or at least that was what it looked like.

"You need to get your act together, Five, before you do something you'll regret."

"I will, I promise. I just didn't-I didn't want things to go on like this."

Beau raised his eyebrows, still in disbelief at all of what was being said, "You understand it was your doing and yours alone?"

"Of course, yes." Five nodded almost frantically.

That genuine emotion he appeared to have stopped Beau in his tracks, his thoughts leaving as if someone else's had pushed them out once again but this time there wasn't another voice to listen to. "... Well, I'm glad you finally owned up to your actions, Five, but that doesn't excuse them and you aren't forgiven."