Promise [Number 5 X Reader]

- I Promise -

In your life, you made a lot of promises.

Why? Maybe it was because of your misplaced faith in humanity at the time. Maybe it was your misplaced belief that they were taken seriously. Or perhaps it was because you wanted to control the outcome of something, just once.

Unfortunately, you watched as the people who made those promises broke them, and you were left behind like an old doll on a shelf: sitting and helplessly watching as you collected dust.

19 Years Ago

You were lounging on your bed, a huge psychology textbook in front of you as you committed the pages' contents to memory. The door to your room swung open and Vanya trudged in, flopping down next to you.

"What's up?" you asked, not looking up as the eleven-year-old girl weakly kicked her knee-high-clad legs.

The brunette made an unintelligible grumble. "Why don't the others like me? Is it that bad that I don't have any powers?"

You closed the book and sat up to face her. "They just have cranium-anal-inversion syndrome, that's all," you replied simply.

She blinked at you before the joke clicked and she started giggling. "Where do you even come up with these?"

You shrugged, chuckling. "They just come to me, I guess." You leaned over her face as she turned onto her back. "Hey, promise me something?"

She nodded.

"Don't let them get to you, okay? Not just the others, but the old man and the rest of the world. You've got abilities of your own, and you don't need them to validate you. Remember that, okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah, promise." Smiling, she asked, "Wanna go to the roof?"

"Sure!"

XxX

Ben was outside in the courtyard, practicing summoning his appendages. The long tentacles whipped around wildly, almost taking your head off.

"Whoa!" you yelped as you ducked.

"Sorry (Y/n)," he said with large, guilty, puppy-dog eyes.

"It's fine." You eyed the snaking appendages. "Does it hurt?"

"Does it matter?" he replied, grimacing. "They'll just keep telling me to use them," he replied with a pout.

You gave a short sigh through your nose. The tentacles retracted into his body as you approached him, and you rested your hand on his shoulder. "Just don't over-work yourself, okay?"

"Okay . . ."

"Promise?"

His answer was a bit slower as he nodded, "Uh-huh."

XxX

You heard the whoosh of Five jumping behind you. "Geez, man," you grouched at him as his arm looped around your shoulder.

He laughed, "I've been practicing a lot more with my jumps. The old man told me I had to do that before I could time travel."

"You're pretty hell-bent on that time-travelling thing, aren't you?" you asked as you playfully shrugged him off.