TOUCH | F. Hargreeves

26

TW!: Panic attack and talk of sexual assault - not explicit

To hear himself say such words, Beau was sure something had come over him, but that didn't mean his confession was any less true. Five kissed him then, leaned over the bar and crashed his lips into Beau's, and he could feel the frightened expectancy of Beau pulling away and yelling flicker through Five but it was gone within seconds as Beau kissed back. 

Another breath of relief and another revelation.

Love scared Beau, especially because he knew he couldn't lean on Five, it would surely ruin him. Five had been through enough and he didn't need Beau handing over any of his troubles. Rosie was able to hold them because she could understand all that he's been through seeing as she had a similar upbringing and also the fact she had been there under one of the most traumatic experiences of Beau's life. No one else knew about that and Beau hoped no one would. 

But love, what a terrifying adventure.

Beau caught Rosie's gaze, green and dazzling, before she walked out of the room.

Five's eyes bored into him, "And you're being serious? You're not just saying that for my benefit?" 

He was scared of loving too, Beau realised as he shook his head. Was fate that had brought them back together? Or was it a coincidence? Beau was sure it was meant to happen but it was never set out in front of them from the start, it couldn't have been. "You think I would do that to you?" 

"I wasn't sure before but... I don't think I need your empath power to know that you're being truthful now."

Beau smiled softly before it turned mischievous, "Why don't we take your ex-girlfriend back home." That earned him a laugh and a punch to the arm,

"You are jealous, I can tell."

"What? No, I'm not and no you can't."

"Oh, yeah, I can."

"Lies, all of it."

So, the pair grabbed the mannequin and headed back to the store it all started for her, interesting life and end for an inanimate object but Beau didn't voice his thoughts. It was rather bittersweet, the goodbye, heartfelt too and that was all because Five found solace in such a thing and in a way he had brought it - her - to life because of it. It was Five saying goodbye to his past of loneliness and fear, to fire and ash, to the old man he once was not long ago and Beau couldn't help silently thanking who the mannequin had grown to be in Five's mind, she had saved him. 

Although all was ruined when Five had asked a store worker to dress the mannequin in something with sequins, Beau laughing all the way out of the building. They walked hand in hand, talking as casually as anyone else and it was nice but all nice things came to an end eventually.

Something tore through Beau, flowing through his body as forceful as wind through his hair, quite literally knocking the air out of him. 'To go on a mission, Vanya, you have to have a power.' The distinct voice of Reginald Hargreeves ripped through Beau's mind and invaded his senses. Anger was white-hot and pain was rooted deep. Beau wanted nothing more than to lose control but it wasn't any of his to feel, it belonged to another, one so oppressed they had finally been able to let go. Vanya wasn't crying out for help anymore, she wasn't looking to Beau to save her, she demanded to be heard and seen in the only way she hadn't been able to try, with brute force.

A hand grabbed his arm, "Is it Vanya again?"

Beau breathed heavily, wincing at the prodding in his brain, "We have to get back. Now."