TOUCH | F. Hargreeves

07

Pain was something that came regularly for Beau, whether that was mentally, physically or emotionally, it followed him everywhere. Sometimes it was his own doing, other times it was his father's words and beatings and then there were those times his mother's pain had been shared through her stories and her thoughts she spoke aloud. He guessed his whole family had been that way, chronically depressed and violently angry, he sure did inherit them.

So, when Reginald decided to give his children all painful permanent brands to show their loyalty, Beau couldn't find it in himself to feel any fear, even when his eyes found the needles and the burly man that would mark their skin with ink.

Klaus had clung to his arm as soon as they were told, Allison and Ben had tears in their eyes and Diego, Luther and Five tried to be tough with the thoughts of the inevitable pain to come. All the while Vanya was looking down on them from the stairs with a longing gaze as she was once again left out. Beau felt for her, he really did, but at the same time, she was lucky to not be receiving the brand.

"Do you think it will hurt?" Five questioned as they sat and waited anxiously. Allison and Klaus were stood in the corner of the room, holding one another as they sobbed from the pain quietly, already having been scolded by their father. Diego winced every now and then as the needles poked into his skin.

Beau shrugged nonchalantly, "We all have our different levels of pain tolerance." He was sure his threshold was a lot higher than the others but that didn't mean he thought they were weak in the slightest, just not experience with that time of thing.

Five frowned and turned to face Beau who didn't look away from Diego who had just rejected his mother's comfort. "Why are you so calm about all of this?"

"Why are you so scared?" Beau looked into Five's fearful but narrowed eyes, "It's only pain."

Five scoffed, his expression turning bitter like it used to when he spoke to Beau, "Just because you practise by cutting yourself-I-I mean." He stuttered out as soon as he realised what he had said, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that." Five's head hung in defeat.

"Do you regret what you said?" Beau raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, I do."

"Good."

Minutes later Diego's tattoo was done and he scurried off the hold in his sobs in the corner of the room, though didn't dare stand close to his whimpering siblings.

"Number Zero." Reginald gave the boy a short nod and Beau walked up to the man with the tattoo gun, not once looking fazed as he sat down comfortably but stiffly. The others stared as the needles made contact with Beau's inner forearm, the lack of pain being shown surprising; the only sign that it stung was the number of times Beau blinked in that first second.

Two hours later and all the children of the Umbrella Academy had received their tattoo - or brands as Beau liked to call it - and they were all sent up to their rooms with a free day to do as they pleased. Klaus, dragging Ben along with him, had decided to annoy Beau in his room, asking pointless questions, complaining. You know, the usual. 

After another particularly irritating question, Beau sighed and gave Ben a look which he easily returned. After the pair's little interaction Ben had definitely tried to stop his anxious behaviour around Beau, he had lived with them for around five years after all.

"I'm taking you all out for a treat." Beau sighed suddenly, taking the cigarette from Klaus and taking a drag.

"You are?" Klaus jumped up from his slouched posture as he stared at Beau was going around straightening his things with the lit cigarette hanging between his lips.