dead upon arrival || ben hargreeves

//6: the day that wasn't//

2006

Everyone except the kids of the Umbrella Academy could vouch for the statement that Sir Reginald Hargreeves was very far from being a kind man, nor was he lenient on free time the kids had. Though, as the kids got older and a bit of help from Allison, their free time for the week was extended to one eight hour time period by the time they were seventeen.

As soon as the news hit both Ben and Pandora they couldn't have cared less what the others were doing, all they knew was that they wanted to go get food at a diner that was open.

They ate and laughed without having to worry about looking over their shoulder. It was quite strange it was to not have to sneak around at night for some alone time between the two of them.

"Thank you!" Pandora said back to the waiting staff both her and Ben left hand in hand. Ben quickly thanked them as well before pulling Pandora out the door. "What do you wanna go do?" Pandora asked.

"Well, you've been out in the city more than I have, I don't know anything around here," Ben replied, his eyes moving back and forth between different pieces of the city, things he'd never have the time to enjoy on missions.

Pandora hummed in response to Ben, looking around to see a commercial store with multiple sale signs in the window for clothes, food, and general goods. Pandora looked back at Ben, who was still gazing at the city, and took into account the lack of clothes he had to wear on outings. The most he had were jeans and a sweatshirt Pandora had bought for him as a gag gift. "We can go shopping?"

"Why?" Ben asked.

"Because Ben," Pandora laughed, "We're gonna be from all of this Umbrella Academy shit in a few years and you need more than a pair of jeans and an academy uniform." She could tell by the glint in is eye that Ben was reluctant, she didn't know why but she assumed he was insecure. Pandora took both of his hands and pulled him across the street to the store.

When they walked in, Pandora b-lined it to the men's clothing section and began picking out various articles of clothing with bits of input from Ben.

After about twenty minutes of going through clothes Pandora gave Ben a pile of three jeans, three t-shirts and a black sweatshirt Ben had picked out for himself to try on. He went into the dressing room alone and cane out every time he tried on something new, Pandora hyping Ben up and taking items away that didn't fit his body type or Ben just didn't care for.

Whilst taking back a t-shirt Ben that was too small on Ben, Pandora spotted a black leather jacket hung up on a random rack by someone who was too lazy to put it back in its proper place. Pandora put the shirt back and grabbed the jacket before anyone else could, nearly sprinting to the dressing room Ben was in.

As if on cue, Ben came out right as Pandora came back. "I kind of like this," Ben said in reference to his plain black sweatshirt and black jeans he had put on. "I put on the sweatshirt with the blue jeans but it didn't..." Ben trailed off when he saw Pandora smiling while holding up the leather jacket. "Don't you, don't you think that's a bit much," Ben laughed nervously, eyeing the jacket very suspiciously.

"Oh come on," Pandora started, "You don't even have to go into the dressing room, this would look killer with the outfit you have on."

"Over the sweatshirt?" Ben asked.

"Over the sweatshirt," Pandora confirmed, turning the opening of the jacket to Ben so he could easily slip his arms through. He sighed and put on the jacket, pulling his sweatshirt sleeves out from under the leather. He turned back to Pandora and opened his arms as if to say, "Here it is."