"Making up problems that don't exist
Why do I let myself dream like this?"
—Meteor Shower, Cavetown

Ben didn't know what defined him anymore.

He knew there was more to it than his childhood home—if he could even call it that; a home—but sometimes it was hard to look past his number. He'd been Number Six of The Umbrella Academy, The Horror, for as long as he could remember. To most, it didn't matter what his actual name was. Sometimes he wondered if anyone cared at all.

Each time his dad referred to him by his number—which was every time—he was sickened to the core. He was Six. Not One, not Two; Six. Ben was starting to lose grip on what that title actually meant.

It was scary, not being able to see past the academy, which was the exact reason he had to get out of there.

The idea had crossed his mind more than once, but he always shook it off. It came to him in bits; fantasizing about going to college, making normal friends that didn't have to share their body with eldritch monsters, and working part-time at a coffee shop or something. It wasn't until the last Sunday night of September, as he was taking his evening shower, that he really settled on it. On leaving.

For the first time in a long time, Ben was excited. It was ridiculous how often he caught himself smiling at the thought, but he simply couldn't help it. Watching his siblings sneak out at night reminded him of his plan. Opening his closet to grab a clean uniform led to trying to decide what clothes to pack with him. He couldn't even pay attention to his new book anymore.

That smile never lasted long.

How could it, with dear old Dad lurking in the hallways at night? Ben was certain there was no man more controlling than Sir Reginald Hargreeves. He didn't know of another person that hooked their kids up to monitors every Monday night, or that made them fight each other in the backyard, and let's not forget about constantly nagging them about saving the world.

Yeah right.

The general public may had described the Umbrella Academy as a boarding school, however it was anything but. Ben would rather use jail to describe it.

Yet he still held out hope. He had a plan, after all.

The only problem was how exactly he'd carry all of his clothes and books without a suitcase. Or how he'd take a bus with no money. Or where he'd stay. He was turning eighteen in less than a week, and the list only seemed to grow.

Okay, maybe his plan wasn't really a plan.

He needed to ask for help.

But who would he even tell?

Luther was a no go from the start. He was the one who would most likely tell Dad, and although Ben would be legally an adult and safe from him by then, he was not in the mood for being scolded. Hell, Luther's resemblance of Dad, intentional or not, was part of the reason Ben had to leave.

Diego seemed like a good choice at first. He was already on a sneaking-out basis to attend the police academy, and Ben knew he was planning on running away as soon as he had enough money for his own place. The last thing Ben wanted was to be a burden, not to mention he didn't really know Diego.

Allison was also a no go. If he were honest, her powers kind of scared him, and she was starting to rely on them more and more. Ben knew his sister would never turn on him, but there was this little voice in his head telling him to stay away. He couldn't risk being rumored, even if it was for his own safety.

That left him with Vanya and Klaus, and both could go down equally wrong.

For as long as Ben could remember, Vanya had been his best friend, despite Five being hers. It was always the three of them; Five, Six and Seven. Who knew that taking one number out of the equation would ruin all of it?

Ben supposed Five would have known. He always had a way with math—he always had a way with everything—and maybe he'd know what to do now too, if he were here.

But he wasn't, and that only made things worse between him and Vanya. They'd grown distant, acting like strangers just like everyone else in that house. Ben still considered her his best friend though. How could he not?

Regardless of what their status was, he knew Vanya wouldn't take his decision to leave lightly. Ben decided it would be best to tell her when he had everything figured out, rather than have her point out every flaw in his plan.

Last but not least, Klaus.

He and Ben had never really been close as kids. Ben much preferred Vanya and Five's company, and would more than often allow himself to be completely alone in the quiet corners of his room with a couple of books to keep him company.

Klaus, on the other hand, did everything Ben wouldn't. He was loud, just a tad annoying, and the center of attention. Ben would often see him in Allison's room by day, trying on new outfits and painting their nails, and sneaking into Diego's at night. Sometimes it was hard not to wonder how he wasn't being kicked out.

They were basically polar opposites, the two of them, and that complicated things a bit. The quiet and obedient child asking the carefree and chaotic one for advice—the irony, Ben thought—but it wasn't as if he had any other choice.

Klaus wasn't exactly trying to hide his own desire to get as far away from the academy as possible, and in a way, he was already out. He sneaked out regularly, knew the town relatively well, and even if his ways weren't always the safest, he knew how to cheat himself into almost everything. When it came down to it, there was no better option than Klaus.

So three nights before their eighteenth birthday, Ben knocked on his brother's door.

There was no response, so Ben knocked again.

"Klaus," he whispered just loud enough for Klaus to hear. It wasn't as if he could knock any harder; he knew when knocking became too loud, all of the siblings did. Ben wasn't the only one sneaking behind their father's back at night. "It's me, Ben."

No reply.

Ben sighed in defeat, starting to backtrack towards his room, but just before he could distance himself enough, the door to his brother's room opened, revealing a panting Klaus.

"Give a guy some time to climb back in his room from his window, will ya?"

Klaus really didn't know why he got himself into the stuff he did.

Or rather he did, but he chose to play drama queen, even in his own thoughts. It was much easier to pretend that everything was beyond his control than to admit he had pushed Diego a tad too far this time, or that the extra pill he'd taken would probably result in him waking up in the hospital. Whatever. He'd much rather be told he was gonna die than to face these ghosts again.

Which was why he was in need of a restock. He'd run out of acid or Molly or dextrowhatever last night, and knew booze alone wasn't enough to keep him secured. Not after a mausoleum night.

Sometimes it scared him how careless and unaware he became when he was high. One time he'd woken up on the toilet, having fallen asleep while he was peeing or whatever. Others he couldn't afford to care. Yeah, toilets could sometimes be as comfortable as his bed. Who needs pyjamas when you can sleep with your underwear halfway up?

Not Klaus. He never really fell asleep anyway, unless passing out on your bedroom floor qualified as sleeping. It did its job. Sometimes.

He was a mess, and he knew it. Maybe Diego was right, and he should cut loose for a while. Let his body recover.

Today was not that day.

He'd sneaked out again, in hopes to catch his dealer in the neighborhood. He owed him some money—which he did, in fact, return—and grabbed something new while he was at it. Something stronger, he'd told him, but not too strong.

He almost fell off his window when he heard a knock on his door.

For once in his life, he was grateful he'd resisted on popping his newly bought pills on the spot. Had he been any more out of his mind, he really would have fallen off. His timing be damned though, Klaus was stuck on his window. He forgot to leave it open again, and getting it open from the outside while hanging on its edge for dear life was a real pain in the ass, to say the least.

He finally managed to get it open, just in time to hear his brother Ben whisper next to his door, after knocking it again. Klaus almost tripped as he jumped in his room, but eventually made it inside safe and sound.

And so did Ben.

Klaus invited him in, quietly closing the door—as if he hadn't woken Pogo or something up already—and clasped his hands together, turning to his brother.

Ben was already sitting on Klaus' bed, eyes studying the room. He'd been in his room before, not nearly as many times as Diego or Allison, but still. Klaus was sober enough to suspect something was up, if not only by the curiosity in Ben's eyes or the way he bounced his leg. At least the way Ben scanned the room wasn't piercing, as Five's was. Ben's eyes sparkled every time they moved to another object, or so it felt like.

Okay, maybe Klaus was a little bit high.

He shrugged, lighting up a cigarette and opening his window again. One day, he'd swear revenge on it for the many times it had locked him out. At least this time he wasn't forced to use the front door. His body shook at the mere thought of it.

"I'm moving out."

Klaus almost dropped the cigarette out the window.

He turned around slowly to face Ben, unsure of whether his brother had actually said that or if it was the drugs talking. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He mumbled some nonsense instead, and not even Klaus himself was sure what it meant.

"The night after our birthday," Ben continued.

Klaus hesitated to speak up again, doing some quick math with his fingers. "But that's in three days."

Ben nodded.

Klaus needed to sit down.

He didn't know why it came as this much of a shock to him. He supposed it was because Ben was the last person he'd expect would ever break the rules, even as an adult capable of making his own decisions. Then again, what did Klaus know about responsibility?

Still, that was Ben. His brother who was so closed to himself he wouldn't even ask Mom for more food. His brother who had never raised his voice at anyone, at least of what Klaus knew, the one who would cry himself to sleep at night because he was scared.

How could Ben possibly gather up the courage to leave everything behind?

"Why are you telling me this?" Klaus finally asked.

"Well, the thing is," Ben looked to the side, like he always did when he was embarrassed, "I think I need some help?"

"You think you might need help?"

"I definitely need help," Ben corrected himself.

"And you came to me?" Klaus asked. He had never been more confused in his life. "No one comes to me for stuff, like, ever!"

"Who else could I go to?"

"Well, I don't know," Klaus said, standing up. "Vanya? Your best friend? Perhaps?"

Ben shook his head. "I can't."

There was something about the way Ben's voice lost its excitement and how his gaze fell to the ground that made Klaus' heart shatter. Sure, he didn't really know Ben, but it didn't make seeing him like this any easier.

Klaus couldn't remember the last time someone had needed his help, but Ben? He needed his help. Ben genuinely needed his help.

Klaus took a deep breath, leaning against the wall.

"Okay."

Ben looked up at him, disbelief written all over his face. "Okay?"

"I'll help you," Klaus explained, and seeing Ben beam in joy was enough for him to know he'd made the right choice. "What do you need?"

"A suitcase, for starters," Ben began, not wasting a single second, catching Klaus off guard, "and some info on where to go. Definitely that. Oh, and perhaps some cash? I'll pay you back, I promise, I just need a bus ticket or something, but I promise you I'll pay you back as soon as I—"

"Ben."

He stopped, probably running the nonsense he had just blabbered through his head. "Oops." Ben blushed. "Sorry."

Klaus rolled his eyes, putting out the cigarette he hadn't even smoked and leaving it at the edge of his window. "Now," he said, "you gotta ditch the suitcase idea. It's too expensive, and I'm not even sure it's worth taking from dear old Papa. Rolling it around is too much of a trouble."

"I see," Ben said, audibly bumped. "How will I get my stuff then?"

"You won't," Klaus said as seriously as he could, and could have sworn he saw all of Ben's hair almost fall off. "I'm just messing with you, relax."

Ben sighed in relief, and Klaus smiled. That nerd wouldn't survive out there without his books, and it wasn't as if he had a library card, or whatever it was that gave him all the latest best sellers for free. Did Ben even read best sellers? What even qualified as a best seller? Just how many books were—

"Earth to Klaus?"

Klaus shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "Right, sorry. You'll need a backpack. A big one."

The night went on and on just like that. Ben asking questions, Klaus giving what he thought were good answers, but were probably sloppy instead. Ben seemed pleased though, listening to every single detail. Klaus couldn't remember the last time he had someone's undivided attention like that.

That's when it started sinking in to Klaus; he was all alone.

Diego was leaving the moment he turned eighteen, and Klaus wasn't even sure if he'd stay to celebrate at all. Allison was as good as gone, rumoring herself into whatever acting school she wanted, whenever she wanted. He wasn't too sure about Vanya, but he'd caught her looking at some apartments the other day. And Luther? Klaus didn't even want to think what staying alone with Luther meant. If Ben left too, he was screwed.

"Can I come with you?"

The question left Klaus' lips before he could even process it, and with it changed the atmosphere.

Ben looked at him in a way he never had before. Confusion mixed with disappointment, surprise mixed with panic. He was judging Klaus, and Klaus was the only one to blame. If only he hadn't been so careless again, the only positive interaction he'd had in months wouldn't have been ruined.

It was all gone now though. Thrown away. And it was all his fault. Klaus truly, truly hated himself.

"Please do," Ben eventually said, all the fear being washed away from his face.

The smile that crept up Klaus' face at that moment was the most genuine the Umbrella Academy had seen in years.

Ben woke up with a smile for the first time in seven years.

Talking to Klaus had been a great idea. Not only did he have a way out, but also someone to tag along with him. If he were honest with himself, Ben had no idea what to expect from Klaus. He knew his brother had a chaotic lifestyle, which Ben could never live by, but also that he needed him.

Klaus needed Ben too. The look on his face when he'd asked if he could come with him was practically begging for Ben to say yes. Ben didn't even think about it twice. Truth was, as much as he wanted to leave the academy, he wasn't sure he wanted to let go of his siblings just yet.

Ben and Klaus needed each other to get out there, and Ben was willing to sacrifice his comfort zone in order to do so—not that he had ever truly been comfortable in his life. Maybe that would change after they left.

Ben ran over the things he had to do in his head; decide on what he'd take with him, sneak out with Klaus tonight to buy a backpack and a cellphone, tell Vanya… Maybe he didn't have to. He was going to leave his number behind anyway, so—

No. He was going to tell her today, in person. He felt confident about his plan, and he wanted to give Vanya some time to think.

He'd tell her right after he settled on what to wear on his first night as a free man.

It was true, he still had two days left till then, but he couldn't help it. Dad had canceled morning training for whatever reason, and they had a free hour for themselves. He was certain he'd never felt this much excitement in his life before.

Ben opened his closet, looking past the countless sets of uniforms, and straight to the clothes he'd chosen for himself. For the longest time, none of the siblings owned anything other than their uniforms and pyjamas, but some time after Five left, they were allowed to choose some outfits.

He'd mostly chosen colorful shirts, like the ones normal kids his age would wear. Kids, he scoffed. Ben was almost eighteen, and he still couldn't think of himself as anything other than a child.

He grabbed a pair of jeans, and a black hoodie, throwing his pyjamas on his bed. It looked normal enough, but Ben wasn't satisfied yet. Hesitantly, he unhung his leather jacket, wearing it on top of the hoodie.

He checked himself out in the mirror, and couldn't help but grin. He bet not even Klaus would put a leather jacket on top of a baggy hoodie, and that thought alone made him want to show his brother his outfit more.

In the end, Ben ended up grabbing a pair of sunglasses, the ones with the blue lenses that Allison gave him last year, to top it all. He almost burst out laughing as he put on his shoes and headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth. Klaus was going to love this.

He ran into Luther there, who gave him a very puzzled look.

"You look…" Luther struggled to find the right word while scanning Ben from head to toe, "... nice."

"Thanks," Ben said, ignoring Luther's confusion—it amused him more than he'd ever admit.

He finished up, leaving Luther to himself and headed to Klaus' room. He found himself smiling again, hopping in the hallway instead of walking. He couldn't control himself, and it felt good. Feeling out of the ordinary.

He knocked on the door, and this time Klaus did respond. Ben pushed the door open, only to see a half naked Klaus trying to decide on what shirt to go for. Ben jumped, shutting the door closed as quickly as he opened it.

"Jesus, Klaus," he mumbled. Seeing his brother in his underwear was not something he had signed up for.

"Ah, young and innocent Benny," Klaus joked. "Scared of my gorgeous bod?"

"You're naked, Klaus," Ben said, leaning against the closed door. "At least give me a heads up."

"Alright fine, 'I'm naked!' Happy?"

Ben chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Sure." Sometimes he forgot how funny Klaus actually was.

"I'm wearing pants nowww," Klaus said, opening the door. Ben almost lost his balance as the surface behind his back retreated, but Klaus caught him. "Sheesh, Ben, at least give me a heads up!"

"Ha, ha." Ben stood on his feet again. "Good morning to you too."

"Well you certainly look different," Klaus said, tapping on Ben's glasses. "Love the lenses~"

"Thanks!" Ben smiled. "It's what I'll wear when we leave."

"Ah, yes, the big night," Klaus said. He picked up two shirts, and even though Ben pointed at the green one, Klaus went for pink. "And you put it on now why?"

"To show you?" Ben said. "I thought it'd be fun, I don't know."

"It is fun!" Klaus said, taking Ben's hands in his. "You know I love makeovers. You look dazzling. I do miss the color on you though."

Ben shrugged. "I felt like going for something different, since we are starting something different, you know?"

"Oh, yes, I love your mind," Klaus said. "So what you're suggesting is I wear a dress?"

"I said out of the ordinary, Klaus, you plus dresses is an everyday sight."

"Imagine me breaking out in heels, though!" Klaus gasped. "It'd look so badass, oh god."

"And break your jaw again?" Ben couldn't help but laugh. "But it would look badass, yeah."

"Knew you couldn't resist my charm," Klaus teased, letting go of Ben's hands, and making him laugh again. "Seriously though, you look great. Maybe a tad emo. But great."

A smile crept up Ben's face. "You know, I saw Luther before—or rather, he saw me—and he looked so—"

Ben was interrupted by the all-too-familiar sound of the mission alarm going off, followed by their father's voice.

"Attention, children," he began, and Ben felt chills down his spine.

Not another mission.

"An emergency situation has occurred—"

Not today. Ben really wasn't in the mood today.

"—four hostages, including the town's mayor—"

Not today. Not today, not today, not today.

"—in the car this instant!"

The alarm stopped, and so did the broadcasting of Dad's voice. Ben took a deep breath, pulling himself together. It was one mission, then it'd be over. Missions meant they'd have the rest of the day free to recover, and if he stood lucky, maybe he wouldn't have to use the tentacles either.

He and Klaus looked at one another for a second, before running out the room. Ben ditched his glasses on their way down, probably somewhere in the hallway. It didn't matter. All they had to do was get the mission over with and—

"What are you wearing?" Diego asked on their way to the car. It wasn't the one they used for public missions. This one was faster, and smaller, but wasn't like they had a choice.

Luther got the passenger seat, as always, leaving the other four to squeeze themselves in the back. Ben got the left window, Diego got the middle seat, and Allison was sitting on top of Klaus at the right.

"It wasn't like I had time to change," Ben said. Out of all the siblings, only Luther was in his uniform.

"You're one to talk, you're wearing your edgy spandex again," Klaus added.

"At least I'm not wearing a skirt and heels."

Allison glared at Diego. "How was I supposed to know—"

"Silence!" The whole car quieted down at the sound of their father. Ben took a deep breath, reminding himself that in just a few days, he wouldn't have to listen to his cold tone again. "Listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you."

It was some thug group, like the ones they'd always deal with, only that lives were at stake this time. According to the report, they had hostages, the bartender of the bar and some other customers.

It was okay. They probably only had guns. They'd be in and out.

"Alright, here's the plan," Number One said, turning to the rest of them. Luther, Ben corrected himself. It scared him how when they were on missions, he tended to think of everyone as numbers. Ironically enough, he'd picked up that habit from Luther.

Ben and Diego would go in from the back, Klaus and Allison got the front, and Luther would enter through the window as a distraction.

It was okay. Guns only. In and out. Breathe.

Ben nodded at Diego, and on the count of three, they barged into the bar.

They were fired at almost immediately. Ben dodged a bullet just barely as he threw himself at one of the guys. Three more circled around him, and his stomach rumbled in response. Not yet, Ben told himself, taking out two of his opponents. If there was one thing he was grateful his dad taught him, it was hand-to-hand combat. Then again, he wouldn't have needed it in the first place if he had a normal life.

"Someone cover the—Ben, the hostages!"

"Got it!" Ben yelled back, reaching for the five tied-up people at his right. There was a woman in her thirties that wore a black suit, who Ben could only assume was the mayor. Ben leaned down, taking the duct tape off her mouth. "You're going to be okay."

She looked strangely calm for someone who had basically been kidnapped, but Ben wasn't one to judge—it wasn't as if he had time anyway, with all the bullets he needed to watch out for—and went on to set the rest of the hostages free.

"Alright," he said, gesturing them to stand behind him. "When I say go, you—AGH!"

Ben didn't have time to process what happened as he fell on his knees. He covered his stomach, coughing loudly, desperately trying to take cover. If the horror was complaining before, now it was furious.

He turned around to face the hostages, only to see them towering over him in a not-so-friendly way. They all had smirks on their faces as they leaned in closer, starting to kick him.

"BEN!" he heard someone yell, he wasn't sure who. All he knew was that the hostages were suddenly gone, and he was placed behind a counter. He was safe, for now.

"What—" he coughed, sitting up and leaning his back against the counter. "What happened to the mayor? And the hostages?"

"There are no hostages," Diego said—so he was the one that had saved Ben—and stood on his feet again. "Don't you move."

Ben wasn't sure for how long he was sitting there, but it gave him enough time to think. Who they thought were innocent people were part of the gang they were trying to stop.

It was all part of the setup.

He took a deep breath, standing on his feet again. Just guns, he reminded himself, almost mockingly. Yeah. Just guns.

There had to be around twenty people in that room, not counting those who had fallen in battle, and they were slowly closing in on them. Ben was suddenly not alone in that dusty corner of the bar, having been joined by his siblings.

"Allison, rumor them into—"

"She's been hurt," Luther interrupted Ben. Their sister was this close to falling unconscious, a gun wound on her shoulder, and a limping leg. She was coughing, trying to speak up loudly enough for her powers to work, but it was clear she'd lost that ability.

Diego, Luther and Klaus were also hurt, but not as badly as Allison. It wasn't as if they could use their powers though. Klaus didn't know how, Luther's were useless against a crowd that big, and Diego had lost his knives in battle.

The Umbrella Academy had been in numerous tricky situations, but never before had they been surrounded by so many guys at once. Not just any guys; they'd known about their powers and had successfully stunned every single one of them. Who knew how long they'd spent studying them? It didn't matter. The Umbrella Academy had been the real target of the attack from the start.

In a way, they were just waiting to get shot.

"Come on, Ben, come on, just do it, you can do it," Ben told himself again and again, trying to focus on his powers. It was as if the universe was mocking him, sending every single curse at its disposal his way.

Ben had barely been able to contain the horror in his stomach before, so why was he begging it to come out now—

Pain.

He didn't even have time to raise his shirt as the horror launched itself forward, grabbing onto as many guys as possible at once.

There was something wrong this time. Each time he used his powers, Ben felt as if it hurt more than the last, but this time it hurt hurt. It hurt so much Ben couldn't stop screaming to breathe, Ben couldn't breathe—

The horror was angrier than it had ever been before, and for the first time in years, Ben lost complete control of it.

The next thing Ben could remember were screams, and the piercing pain growing stronger, as if his body was being torn in half—

September 29th of 2006 was the worst day of Klaus' life.

He saw it happen every time he closed his eyes. One moment they were surrounded by some thugs, the other they were surrounded by bodies, amongst which was their brother's. Where, no one knew.

Klaus had seen Ben use his powers countless of times. It always broke his heart, seeing him in so much pain, but never before had it actually broken him down to his core. All he wanted was to forget, forget this image of the horror, forget Ben's face as he screamed for dear life, forget his body being torn to pieces until no one could tell he'd been there anymore—

Klaus knew it would happen eventually. Five's disappearance was merely the start of the academy's fall, and everyone was waiting for that one mission to go wrong. It's just that no one had Ben in mind when they thought about it.

He remembered the ride back. All of them were covered in blood, sobbing their eyes out, and Dad didn't even bother to shut them up. They couldn't even get a body to bury. It'd be kinda weird, carrying actual flesh and bones, not even sure if it was their brother's or the bastards' that did this to him—

Klaus threw up for the third time. He must have looked so pathetic, holding onto the toilet as if there was nothing else left, emptying everything that was in his stomach—

He felt so betrayed.

Just when he had found a reason to move forward, life fucked him up again. Less than twelve hours ago, Klaus was looking forward to leaving the academy behind, and had never felt so much hope before. Now he'd hit rock bottom again. Fuck everything.

Klaus didn't know what to believe in anymore. All he knew was that Ben shouldn't have died.

He flushed the toilet, somehow getting on his feet. Mom had helped him bathe before, and changed him into a clean set of clothes. He felt like he was a toddler all over again, not able to take care of himself. Then again, that's how he'd felt like for a long time now.

He didn't care how disgusting he looked anymore. All he wanted was to drop on his bed, ideally dead, and just never get up again—

Crack.

Klaus didn't want to look down. He really didn't want to look down.

He didn't bother to pick up the sunglasses he stepped on. He didn't even care that he broke them. He supposed no one would be wearing them now anyway. Not anymore.

He couldn't remember collapsing on his bed. He couldn't remember when the first tear fell. He couldn't remember when the pack of pills on his desk were emptied.

A week later, Klaus still couldn't stand properly.

For better or worse, they'd cut loose on training for a while. Well, it wasn't as if they needed to listen to Dad anymore—surprise, they were all adults now!—but the announcement came anyway.

They didn't celebrate their birthday. Well, Mom did make them special breakfast, but that was all. Under any other circumstances, Klaus would have started a riot, but he barely had the energy to talk at this point. He wasn't in the mood for birthdays. He wasn't in the mood for anything.

Especially not a funeral.

Who would have thought Reginald Hargreeves would actually bother with the death of his son. It's a shame, he'd said, and locked himself in his office again, as if nothing had happened. Yeah, what a fucking shame.

Klaus could only scoff when he laid eyes on Ben's monument.

Whoever Dad commissioned to make it had done a shit job; it looked nothing like him. He was wearing his uniform, taking a step forward, as if he was making a peace offering or something. Klaus knew for a fact Ben had never felt like a hero, the irony. Whoever the boy on the statue was, it wasn't Ben.

May the darkness within you find peace in the light, read the inscription.

Klaus had stopped listening to Dad's speech about heroism a second after it'd started. All he could hear were Ben's screams. Maybe it was because he knew for a fact they'd never stop. There was no peace in the afterlife. Only darkness. That inscription was straight up horseshit too.

Everyone's expressions had pain written all over them, but Klaus was assured no one had felt as much pain as Ben had when he released the horror for the last time.

Luther was trying to stand tall, but he was fooling no one, and Allison had buried her face in his shoulder. Diego was holding Mom's hand, and Pogo was holding Vanya's.

Klaus hadn't been there when they told her. According to Allison, and the screaming from downstairs, it'd been almost as painful as watching it happen. Klaus was grateful he didn't have to witness it.

He didn't spend a single more second than he had to in the yard. He was back in his room the moment the ceremony was over, popping the last of his pills. Thank you, dextrowhatever, for making me numb again, he thought. You truly are a hero.

He lay on his bed, closing his eyes. As the ghosts went silent, he prayed he wouldn't have to open them again.

He couldn't explain it, but the aura in the room changed in a way it never had before. He opened his right eye, looking ahead of him—

Black jacket, black hoodie, black jeans—

"Still up for getting the hell out of here?"

Klaus was certain he had finally lost it.

Welcome to my legacy.

Ever since I first watched The Umbrella Academy, I've wanted to write a fanfic about Ben's death. Honestly, it'd be impossible to fit every single headcanon I have into a fanfic, and it's likely I'll tackle this scenario again, but for now, here is the first idea I had!

I really hope you stick around for this fic. It's one of my proudest works yet, and I've prepared so many great things for it.

Make sure to leave a comment if you liked it, because I made myself cry! :D

(No but seriously, thanks for reading!)