Work Text:
A calloused hand brushed against your exposed arm. You looked up to see Eddie looking at you, a hint of concern in his eyes as he placed a glass down in front of you.
"You okay? You've been quiet since you arrived." You could tell he was trying to seem uninterested, but he wasn't great at hiding his feelings from you anymore. You shrugged as you sat up, taking a sip from your usual order.
"Do you... want to talk about it?" He leaned forward, moving to rest a hand on your arm. His thumb gently rubbed your arm as he continued to look at you with thinly veiled worry. You shrugged again, setting your glass down with a sigh.
"I just- I don't know. I don't need to bother you with it, especially since you're working. I'll be fine, Eddie, I promise." You replied, forcing a smile onto your lips. You weren't fine. Your brain had been flooded with nothing but personal torture for the past few days, to the point even Nightmare hadn't tried to bother you. Eddie's lips pressed together in a frown before he tried to speak, cut off by a voice both of you knew too well.
"Live wire, lovely to see you, my dear! I do hope you're enjoying yourself, despite the less-than-ideal performance." Volt glanced back at the stage where Johnny crooned along to a song he “wrote” himself. He turned his attention back to you and Eddie, noticing a tension in the air. His gaze shifted between your eyes and Eddie's before he spoke.
"Are you alright, my love? You seem less energetic than usual." He sat next to you, resting a hand against your back. His fingers drew small shapes, calming you when combined with Eddie's movements.
"I'm fine, you two, really. You guys have more important things to attend to now anyway, don't let me get in your way." You circled the rim of your glass with a finger on your free hand, refusing to meet their eyes. You hated lying to them more than anything, but you knew you couldn't bother them with such trivial human things. They were too busy. You understood that.
"You are never in our way, live wire. What on earth would make you believe so?" Volt's eyebrows furrowed together as he pulled you to him, rubbing soothing circles in place of his shapes. Their comfort was nice, but it only made the voices in your head grow louder.
"I guess I'm just in my head about things, I'll be okay. Please don't stress about me, you two." You stood, slowly pulling out of their worried grasp. A dramatic cry of alarm caught all of your attention as you witnessed Johnny get tangled up in a cord and pull things off stage, causing chaos among the objects. Eddie and Volt both hesitated, looking at you and back at the slowly worsening situation.
"You guys go take care of that. Wouldn't want him to break anything." I forced yet another smile, feeling it falter as Volt pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before rushing to help Johnny. Eddie stayed behind a moment, still hesitating to help.
"Volt's going to need you to help make sure nothing goes wrong with the equipment. And I know you'll stress about it if you don't check it yourself. Please, worry about that first." You ushered him. He let out a low growl of frustration at the situation.
"Promise me you'll tell us the truth. I don't appreciate you lying to us." You felt your stomach twist as the (correct) accusation, tensing as he softly kissed your temple.
"We want you to trust us. Please, come back tomorrow to talk more about it." With that, he rushed to help Volt with the quickly escalating situation. You were left alone with your thoughts once again, something you hated at this point. But you couldn't blame them, no, you'd never blame them. They weren't the issue. You were.
You walked out of The Breaker Box, taking off the dateviators as you walked to your room. You didn't even bother changing into proper pajamas as you set the glasses on your nightstand. Your heart felt too heavy and your stomach felt too sick as you crawled into your bed, feeling as though you were enveloped by more warmth and plush than what was there.
"Thank you, Betty..." You mumbled, curling in on yourself. Tears threatened to spill as you kept picturing how worried Volt and Eddie had seemed for you. And you lied to them. How cruel of you. Your thoughts began to swirl as you finally let quiet sobs escape your lips, your brain keeping you awake much longer than you wanted.
-----
Volt paced around the club entrance, his shoes clicking softly against the floor as he grew more worried.
"It's not like them to not show up. What if something happened to them? Do you think we upset them when we left to help Johnny? They didn't even say goodbye. They always say goodbye." His hands began to spark as his pacing grew faster.
Eddie was trying to busy himself with repairs around the club, not that there were many after you had helped him fix any recent ones. His own worries were growing worse, but he didn't vocalize them like Volt did. He never could find the words. He glanced up at Volt, gripping the glass he was cleaning just a bit tighter.
He also didn't want to make Volt upset by admitting to him that you lied.
"Calm down, I'm sure they just got caught up with something else in the house. Has Lux gotten back to you on anything?" Eddie tried to hold up his usual dismissive act, but even he could feel it slipping from worry. Even if you had gotten busy, you always stop by just to give them a little touch to know you're there.
"Nothing, though that is to be expected. Lux seemed rather uninterested in anything I had to say that didn't pertain to their brand. Did you want to try to..." Volt stopped in place, looking back at Eddie before turning his gaze back towards the entrance. Eddie hesitated, already knowing where this was going.
"Volt, I don't think it's a good idea. What if Lux gets upset? I really don't want to deal with them harassing us over being in their area." He'd gone through this with Volt at least three times since you had left last night, but this time Volt seemed firmer.
"We need to check on them. Something doesn't feel right. They weren't acting right last night," Volt paused his pacing to look at Eddie with pleading eyes, "Please, Eddie, what if they need us?"
Eddie gently placed the glass he was holding down, ignoring the small char that surrounded where the rim was placed. Volt being stressed was making his own circuits act up, something he still wasn't used to after the reset. Eddie hesitated before sighing and making his way to Volt. He stood next to his partner, looking at the door with a frown. He was anxious about leaving the bar, not just because he was so used to being here, but because he wasn't sure how he would fare being in the wires again after so long. Volt seemed to notice, lacing their fingers together into a firm handhold.
"It's going to be alright love. I'm right here." Volt reassured, giving Eddie as encouraging a smile he could muster through the stress. Eddie took a deep breath as he tried to relax.
"I know."
-----
You were still in bed, curled up like you were when you had fallen asleep. Your cheeks were crusted with dried tears, and your eyes and throat burned from crying for so long. You could only imagine how bad you looked, yet you couldn't find the energy to get out of bed.
The only light coming in was from the open curtains, surely thanks to Curt and Rod. Maybe they were throwing shade at you for how much of a mess you were. You'd be surprised if they would even like to speak to you again after this.
Memories haunted you as you curled in on yourself tighter, ignoring the ache in your chest as you let out tearless sobs. Eddie and Volt's worried expressions were seared into your head, as well as Eddie admitting he knew you were lying. It hurt. Everything hurt so much, and it wouldn't stop.
A quiet buzzing sound caught your attention through your crying. You tried ignoring, but it seemed to get slightly louder. You barely managed to get yourself to turn over, still buried in blankets and pillows galore as you tried taking breaths. Your light switch seemed to spark for a moment before calming. You stared at it, confused for a moment, forgetting you were upset. Lux was probably telling you to shut up in the only way they could in their current state. Who could blame them? You were definitely ruining their livestream.
You heard a faint tap on the dresser, glancing over to see the dateviators move ever so slightly. Skylar must need something. You hesitated, fearing what she would have to say about your current appearance. Realistically, she doesn't seem like the type to care, but that seed of doubt stayed buried in your mind. The dateviators moved again, seeming more insistent. You reached out and grabbed the glasses, carefully inspecting them before putting them on.
You didn't even need to aim them at anything, finding Eddie and Volt somehow standing before you. You shot up, ignoring the pounding in your head as you scooted away in alarm.
"Jesus- how did you guys get in here?!" You exclaimed, looking between them. Both of their faces were contorted in that same worried expression that had been haunting you. You remembered just how awful you must look, trying to hide as much as you could in your blankets. You hated them having to see you like this. Your initial fear turned into another spiral as you stayed pushed away, picking at your fingers as you tried to look at anything but them.
"I-I'm sorry, I know how bad I must-" You were cut off by Volt enveloping you in a hug, holding you to his chest as tight as he could. You felt Eddie wrap his arms around both of you, forming a comforting pressure that made some of your fears lessen.
"Live wire, what happened to you? Did someone do this?" Volt asked as he pulled away. He began looking you over, his hands delicately brushing against your cheek as he held you tenderly.
"You promised you would tell us what happened." He reminded, grabbing one of your hands. You stayed silent, trying to find the words but failing. He didn't seem to mind, holding your hand and brushing a bit of hair out of your eyes. His rough hands felt heavenly against yours, but it didn't help the guilt eating you alive. They had left the club for you, all because you couldn't be strong enough to just get out and see them yourself. You felt more tears try to form and fail from a lack of water.
"Would you like to return with us to the club? We can take better care of you there my love, as well as be more private." Volt offered, his hand still brushing softly against your cheek. You hesitated before nodding, feeling Eddie's hand slip away. You looked up at him, noticing the darker circles under his eyes. Did he strain himself to be here? You didn't like the thought of that. Volt pulled his hand away as he stood, his eyes still full of worry.
"We'll meet you there then, love." With that, he and Eddie made their way back to the light switch. With one final look, they disappeared with a spark of energy, leaving a crackly feeling in the air. You hesitated once more, feeling guilt once more grip at your mind. Surely they didn't actually want you to bother them, right? You took a breath to ignore that feeling, finally pulling yourself out of bed as you made your way to The Breaker Box.
Upon entering, they both enveloped you in a firm hug. Volt's head pressed against your forehead as Eddie's arms wrapped around from behind you. They both stood with you in silence, and you finally felt the tears begin to fall. You let out a small sob before harder ones began to rack your body. They both hold you tighter as you finally break in their arms. Volt pulls away, cupping your face as Eddie leaves to go and grab something. You grab Volt's sleeve as you lean into his touch, his thumb wiping away tears as he glances over to Eddie. He looks back at you, his free hand gently grabbing your clenched fist.
"Come, little spark." Volt gently guides you to the closed door that leads to their loft apartment that was above the club. You finally looked up properly, finding Eddie fixing their bed. Volt gently led you to it, letting you sit down. You crawled to the middle, pulling your legs close to you as you stared down at your crossed legs. The bed dipped on both sides, Eddie hesitating before leaning against your shoulder. He grabbed one of your hands, while Volt interlocked your fingers with his on the other. It was like they had been in your room, except now it felt more private. More intimate.
"Would you like to talk about it love?" Volt gently asked, trying not to pry. You sniffled, shrugging as you glanced between both of their hands.
"I don't know. I was fine and then suddenly everything just felt... too much? I'm sorry..." Eddie was quick to cut you off.
"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." He gently scolded, earning a slow nod from you. You knew realistically that you didn't do anything, but the reassurance was... nice.
"Eddie's right, my spark." Volt rubbed his thumb over your knuckle the best he could, bringing your interlocked hand up to his lips for a soft kiss. You leaned your head against Eddie's, pulling Volt closer. He complied, careful not to squish you against Eddie too much. The three of you sat there in silence as you calmed down. You felt the heavy feeling in your chest start to lift, the guilt still lingering in your mind. They both squeezed your hands softly, making that quiet fade away just a bit.
"We're here for you, live wire. No matter what." You finally felt a small smile form, eyes closing as you rested with your boyfriends.
You weren't alone.