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Ben stood last in line with his siblings as their father strode back and forth in front of them, arms crossed behind his back. He heard Vanya’s violin playing upstairs and wished he could be with her rather than here, waiting to hear another lecture about how he had disappointed his father.
The family had just returned from their first-ever public appearance after stopping a bank robbery. He knew that the rest of the team felt proud and excited. They’d chattered about TV cameras and becoming famous all through the drive home, but Ben couldn’t find the energy to join them. He still hadn’t gotten all of the blood out of his hair, and he’d never wipe the image of the tentacles tearing the robbers in half from his memory.
“Most of you performed admirably today… although hardly all.” Sir Reginald shot Ben a withering look. “Numbers One, Two, Three and Five, you’ve earned an afternoon of rest and recuperation. Number Four.” He stopped in front of Klaus. Ben hung his head, too ashamed to watch.
“You barely contributed at the crime scene today, and yet you were all too ready to preen in front of the cameras.”
Klaus scoffed. “Right, I was the one acting like a diva for publicity.”
“You will not back talk to me, Number Four,” Sir Reginald warned. After three sharp clicks of his heels against the tile, his shoes squared inches in front of Ben’s own. “Number Six, you will look me in the eyes when I speak to you.”
Ben reluctantly met his father’s gaze, holding back a wince at the obvious disdain in his father’s eyes.
“Your brothers and sister lost valuable seconds today because of your hesitation. When Number One gives you an order, you will follow it. Do you understand me?”
Ben bit back a sob and nodded silently.
“Better.” Sir Reginald stepped back so that he was again facing the entire team. “Number Four, Number Six, it is clear that you are both in dire need of practice. You will adjourn to the training rooms until I call for you. The rest of you are dismissed.” He turned swiftly on his heels and marched up the stairs, with Luther, Diego, Allison and Five following quickly behind him.
Ben’s feet automatically led him down to the training rooms; his mind was elsewhere. The last thing he wanted now was more training. He just wanted to take a shower, curl up in bed and distract himself with a comic book. He couldn’t stand to face the horrors inside himself a second time that day. Just one day… why couldn’t he get one measly day without them?
Klaus interrupted his thoughts just after shutting the door to the training rooms behind them. “You look like you’ve had enough training for the day.” He tossed a Game Boy Advance to Ben. “Let’s play Mario Kart.”
Ben shook his head. “Dad said we have to train for the rest of the day.”
“Do you always do everything Dad tells you to do?” Klaus scoffed.
“...Yes?”
Klaus placed a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Do you know how many times I’ve skipped out on training and he hasn’t done jack shit about it? He doesn’t know or care what we’re doing as long as he gets his power trip from lecturing us in front of the rest of them. He’s probably upstairs jacking off to the thought of taking over the world.”
Ben recoiled. “Ew!”
Klaus nodded. “I know, he’s such a cliché.” He rooted around in the inner pocket of his blazer and pulled out a small flask. After taking a quick sip, he passed it over to Ben. “It’ll help with your inner monsters.”
Ben sniffed it cautiously. It smelled of his father’s study, medicine and Sharpies; it made his eyes water. “What is it?” he asked between coughs.
“Bourbon. Drink up!” Klaus brought his cupped hand to his mouth as if he were drinking from an invisible glass.
Ben tossed the flask to the side in horror. “We can’t drink that stuff!”
“You didn’t have to throw it!” Klaus chased after the flask, scooping it up as quickly as he could and twisting the cap back on. “I put a lot of work into sneaking it out of Dad’s stash and replacing everything I took with iced tea.”
Klaus slipped the flash back into his pocket, leaned against the wall and slid slowly down to the ground. He motioned to Ben to sit next to him.
Ben looked about guiltily in case anybody was watching, and then quickly sat cross-legged next to his brother.
“Look,” Klaus continued. “The ghosts can’t talk to me when I’m drinking. I thought maybe it might help with your powers too.”
Ben shook his head resolutely. “No. I’m not going to do that and neither are you. Dad says I have to learn how to control my powers.”
Klaus snorted. “If Dad understood how powers worked, he’d be the one out there doing superheroics and soaking in all the attention. And if he gave a rat’s ass about us, he wouldn’t force you and me to use powers that torture us.”
Ben stared down at his hands in his lap. “Luther doesn’t feel that way about his powers. Or Diego or Allison or Five. I need to learn to appreciate the powers I was gifted with.”
“That is bullshit and you know it.” Klaus pointed emphatically at Ben. “You think they like their powers because they have more positive attitudes than us? No! They all got badass awesome powers while we got the short end of the stick. They have no clue what it’s like.”
“At least we have powers,” Ben argued. “Vanya doesn’t have any.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t trade your powers to Vanya at the drop of a hat?” Klaus asked.
Ben considered this. Their whole lives, their father had told Vanya that she wasn’t special enough, wasn’t good enough. She never got to train with them and wasn’t allowed to stand with the rest of the family in front of the TV cameras. But she also didn’t have tentacles from another dimension in her body. She didn’t have to murder anybody. Grown ups didn’t look at her like she was a terrifying freak. “...She doesn’t get to be on the team,” he finally responded.
“Yeah, so?” Klaus retorted.
Ben tried to think of a response, something to prove that he didn’t envy his powerless sister, but nothing came.
Finally, Klaus sighed and crossed his legs in front of him. “If we’re not drinking, then I’m in the mood to kick your ass at Mario Kart. You in, or what?”
“Yeah, OK.” Ben powered up his Game Boy.
“NO!” Ben shouted as Luigi spun out. “I was just about to win!”
“Too bad about that blue shell.” Klaus buffed his nails against his shirt as the award ceremony played across their screens.
“Why do you always do that?” Ben tossed his Game Boy Advance on the ground. “Why can’t you win on your own skills? Why do you always have to go after me?”
“Uh, it’s more fun that way, obviously.” Klaus shrugged. “And that little shocked-and-confused look you get is hilarious every time. Oh, there it is!” He wiggled his fingers in Ben’s direction.
“Die, butthole!” Ben launched himself at Klaus, whaling on his back with open-palmed slaps.
“It’s not my fault you suck at Mario Kart.” Klaus pulled Ben into a headlock, forcing his nose perilously close to his armpit. “Smell my pit! Smell it!”
Ben wrenched his head free, shoved Klaus to the ground and sat on his back. “I will wipe my butt with your pillowcase!”
Klaus thrashed his legs, nearly toppling Ben. “Get off of me or I’ll tell everybody about the time you peed your pants in the monkey house at the zoo!”
“That monkey swiped its paw right at me!” Ben shrieked.
“Boys,” a good-natured voice called out behind them. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.” Mom.
Ben scrambled backwards off Klaus, hiding the Game Boy Advance behind his back. “We were training. The whole time.”
“Yes, I saw you and your brother practicing hand-to-hand combat.” Mom straightened Ben’s tie and smoothed down his hair. Ben couldn’t tell whether her smile was knowing or clueless. “Why don’t you boys take a few minutes to tidy up, and then join us at the dining room table.”
“Yes, Mom,” Klaus and Ben both replied in unison.
Ben stood up and dusted off his pants. “Hey.” He glanced at Klaus. “Today didn’t totally suck. Thanks for keeping me company.” He reached his hand out to Klaus and pulled him to his feet.
Klaus nodded back. “Always.”