The Nebulous Meaning of 'Hero'

Chapter 11: Queragaia

***im so sorry for the delay!!!! i had v severe wordblock sadly. love you all, hope u enjoy xxxxxx** also: trigger warning for quite a dark chap, pls message me if concerned and i will let you know what's in it!!

"one may smile, and smile, and be a villain—"

Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 5

Beau wished Evan could have been with him for this. He was stood outside the bedroom he shared with his brother, pulse racing, frozen in this pre-action state. In his head he ran through reassurances: this was a hero's action. Think how many lives he was saving with this! Bel would be dangerous with his lightning throwing- he was already dangerous to those he disliked... And his parents- his parents would hardly notice the loss of their powers, in the long run.

Beau, on the other hand, would use them for good. He would be a hero, and people would love him.

Step, step, step. Into the room. Bel didn't turn round from the desk, where he was sat doing some homework. There was music on – some rap that Bel probably knew the name of, but Beau only knew the words from because his brother played it all the time.

"Yo," said Bel, evidently hearing his footsteps and throwing a middle finger up in greeting. He still didn't look round. Beau put a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay still, please," he said.

"What the fu-" started Bel, then, "Woah, man, that's so cool! Finally!"

"Don't talk, Bel. This is all for your own good, for the world's good- Just- I'm sorry, okay, but- I'll explain when you wake up."

Beau closed his eyes, and then opened them, glad his brother's face was turned around and he didn't have to see any shock or fear.

"Won't take long," he whispered. A deep breath. Fingertips light on Bel's bomber jacket. "Give me your powers, please."

It came slowly, heady and horrible; this sickly thrill seeping into his fingers, into his bloodstream. He squeezed his eyes shut, heart rate picking up even further. For a few terrifying seconds he felt too full, too electric, and it flashed through his thoughts that maybe he couldn't do this after all. Then-

Bel slumped forward, the energy flow cut like a tap turned off, and Beau fell back gasping for breath. When he'd regained control over his thoughts he whispered,

"Only ten minutes, Bel, don't worry. You'll only be unconscious ten minutes."

Evan had explained it all. He was older than Beau and so they'd covered power-transferral in his classes, so he knew about recovery time and all that. That being so, Beau didn't have any spare minutes to make sure Bel was okay. He had to work quickly for his and Evan's plan to succeed. Evan had worked out the timings precisely for him, from the moment he took his family's powers to when they woke up looking for answers.

He walked quickly into the kitchen, where his dad was cooking dinner while his mum sat at the table, half-doing a crossword and half-laughing at some joke her husband had made. Beau went straight in, ignoring their 'hey Beau's, and placing one hand on each of them.

"Please don't talk or- move," he choked out. It wasn't a betrayal, he knew (Evan had assured him countless times), but it felt like one. "Please give me your powers."