Untapped Potential: his greatest disappointment.

Life's not easy

Ben followed silently as Five and Klaus made their way to the courtyard. He was excited, really, he was. He wants Klaus to find his way through his powers, and Ben was dying to be seen again. It was a weird feeling, Ben thinks, he wants Klaus to be happy and he knows that training will bring him back faster. But it was hard to watch the living go on with their lives, at least when Klaus was dead in a ditch somewhere, he wasn't doing anything of importance. Ben feels utterly useless, he can't help, he can't make comments or ask questions, and he can't help Klaus up when his energy drains. It sucked.

So he stayed silent, pondering over his own thoughts for far too long. Five was rambling to himself, and Klaus was now uncharacteristically following silently behind him. Ben sees how Klaus plays with his rings, how he scratches his palm tattoos, and Ben recognizes that as Klaus's nervous signs. The signs he gives when he is nervous and needs to express emotion on his skin. Ben didn't know if he should interrupt, but Klaus's palms were red now, and dry flakes flew off of them like dust. He would occasionally groan and hold his stomach, but that was more normal now than the itching.

"Klaus, please stop doing that," Ben tried to sound bored, and it did work, though he sounded a little whiny as well. Ben hoped Klaus was too hyped up in his own brain to notice.

"Doing what?" Klaus asked confused, and Five glanced at him oddly before noticing Klaus was looking in a different direction before turning with a sigh.

"The scratching," Ben clarified. Klaus looked at his hands confused and rubbed them together, a distressed look washed over his face.

"Aww, are you worried for dear ol' me?" and normal Klaus has reappeared. Klaus broke into a fit of laughter as Ben rolled his eyes and turned to Five as if he could see Ben. Klaus kept the smile on his face, Ben did notice how it didn't reach his eyes like it did when he was having a genuinely good time.

The three of them reached the gazebo, where Five stopped dead in his tracks. Ben took a moment to admire the night, the way the moon lit up the house, and how the grass was slightly wet, how the windows reflected the moonlight onto the gazebo. He didn't always have time to do this, spending most of his days babysitting the thirty-year-old baby he calls brother. Ben looked at the other two once again, Klaus was leaning against one of the opening posts, Five was standing in the center. Klaus was now holding his own head up, but he gave up a little bit. He ended up just resting his head on his shoulder.

"How we doin this, old man?" Klaus asked with all the negligence he usually would. Five sent a small glare and mutter under his breath. Ben couldn't tell what he said.

"Alright, so this new power is basically bringing Ben back into the land of the living?" Five questioned. Ben realized none of his siblings knew what Klaus's power was, just that he can talk to dead people. Did they know about the bridge?

"I suppose, he is technically in between two worlds when I see him. So I guess that means I push him towards living when I do whatever this is," Klaus says, Ben nods his head even though neither of them are paying him any attention. Ben takes a seat on the bench.

"Incredible," Five mutters very softy, Ben only hears him because he is sitting behind him now.

"What does it feel like when you've done it?" Five asks, taking a seat next to Ben. He doesn't know it though. Ben feels a smile grace his features, unwillingly.

"It feels like... energy," Klaus shrugs, his composure remains neglected. As if this is just another joke to Klaus, Five and Ben know it's anything but.

"I don't know," Klaus begins again when Five stays silent, "I can't control it. It feels like I'm giving energy to Ben and he somehow can touch things with it," Klaus finished, Five stays quiet for a second or two longer.