TOUCH | F. Hargreeves

14

Beau didn't know what to say, it felt as though he could feel more but everything was numb at the same time and that was obviously due to the alcohol but now he was wondering if it may also be because of a certain person that had recently appeared out of nowhere. Beau hadn't thought about Five in a long time before that, his mind too preoccupied with difficult things, and maybe that was why these unusual feelings were taking so long for him to register clearly, the ones that made him confused and out of control. And it was all Five's fault.

The pounding of his heart, the bated breath, the sweaty hands. Something perceived as an illness could be something way worse, and in this case that could be a very real possibility. Beau didn't like it one bit because he was beginning to realise he couldn't stay angry at Five for long and if he wasn't angry at him then what else would he be? 

Five used to be someone he held all of his distaste for, seeing as he did the same in return, someone he could yell at and have it be justified in some sense. Beau didn't like to be violent usually so he never really lay a hand on Five but that didn't mean he didn't try to break him emotionally as Five did with him. But now things were so different, Beau was dropped into uncharted waters and it was too dark to navigate.

Beau grinned carelessly at the boy who had stumbled his way over to sit beside him, his own lazy smile seemingly everlasting over his youthful features. If Beau wasn't so intoxicated he would have hated that smile but he was and it only made him chuckle softly.

"What are you laughing at now?"Five questioned, his words slurring together as he leaned against the wall while their shoulders remained pressed together.

"Nothing," Beau said as he simply gazed upon the face he had wanted gone days prior, he was thinking now he might want him to stick around a little longer. Was that a bad thing for him to think? Beau had spent most of his life hating Five, despising him and all of his faults but now as they sat beside each other in a darkened alleyway, drunk off an entire bottle of vodka, he was starting to admire him and all of his imperfections. Beau knew he would deeply hate those thoughts by morning.

Five hummed, "Why did you change your eyes to black?" He asked with a small frown, staring deep into the abyss that were Beau's eyes, flickering from one to the other.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't deserve a bright colour, black to match my soul." His eyes widened comically as he made light of the rather honest statement.

"Why not green?"

"... Because you have green eyes and I didn't want to catch myself staring into them and think of you."

Five seemed saddened by the answer possibly telling himself it was because Beau hated him and all that he was but he had said it in such a soft tone neither of them was quite sure how to take it. "You must hate the colour."

"No." Beau spoke easily, "In fact, Rosie has almost the exact same eyes which I've grown to love."

"That's... ironic."

Beau chuckled, "Tell me about it. So, are they better or worse?" He turned his body slightly, facing Five better with his eyes wide and open.

Five smiled and shook his head, "Neither, as long as they're on you I will like them."

That made something in the pit of Beau's stomach flutter, "Really? You don't think these-" Beau blinked once and his eyes were suddenly a bright sapphire blue that could have been mistaken for the clearest of skies, "are better?"

Five stared dumbfounded for a moment, studying the light swirls and bold glimmers that Beau had made more appealing to find any sort of reaction to show he had been lying about his comment but, he knew, in the end, it didn't really matter. "All they do is remind me of past memories," Five finally said, "Most of them not very pleasant."