Chapter Text
You felt worse than you looked, and you looked like a wreck.
You hadn't been in the house for almost two weeks. The objects in the house were relieved to see you but horrified at your state. You were a sickly combination of flushed and pallid with sunken eyes, swollen eyelids, and a blank look. Even after settling, you were breathing too deeply - gulping air, as though you couldn't get enough oxygen.
Twelve days ago, you'd apologized to the house at large while abruptly packing your essentials and leaving in the middle of the night. The dateviators sat abandoned on your dresser, left behind for your own safety. Valdivian and David Most had no reason to follow you without them, so you'd simply left them at home. You said something about a family emergency and then disappeared. Most objects woke to an empty house, although the news spread quickly from those who'd witnessed you leave.
You'd left on trips before, of course. But never this long, never this urgently, and - most importantly - not after receiving the dateviators. After a few days it was clear no one was coming for the glasses, but that was little consolation in the face of your absence. And no consolation in the face of your look and behavior on returning.
You'd been sitting on your bed for too long. Not laying down or resting, just…sitting. You stared at nothing while swaying slightly. The world around was swimming in a dizzying way and it was hard to stay upright.
You didn't know how long you sat numbly on the bed. You didn't know what time it was. You didn't know what change, if any, your absence had wrought. You just knew you needed to get to the Breaker Bar.
You held the dateviators in your hand until you were staring into your side closet. Now was not the time to run into other objects. You took a deep breath and put the glasses on.
The door to the bar opened easily.
"Live wire!" Volt cried, sprinting over and pulling you into a massive hug. "We were so worried, darling--"
His greeting was cut off by your sob.
"I'm sorry," you said, your voice managing to crack twice on three syllables. Volt’s brow furrowed and he began to notice your reddened eyes, glassy with tears - details he'd missed in his initial surprise.
"For what, dearest?" He asked. Before you could answer, you heard more footsteps. They grew faster once he saw you.
"Volt, what's--spark!" Eddie said, shocked into showing more emotion than usual. But his greeting just made the tears spill over, running down your face.
"I'm sorry," you whispered, barely audible.
"Spark, what happened?" Eddie asked, looking at you and Volt in turn, hoping he'd missed something. But Volt knew just as little.
"It won't happen again, I promise," you sobbed, your head pounding. Volt gathered you up in a hug again with Eddie awkwardly holding your hand, rubbing circles onto the back with his thumb. You weren't making eye contact with either of them.
"Breathe, live wire," Volt said, as softly as he could manage, "We're here. Are you okay? What's wrong?"
But you couldn't answer. You were overcome with hiccuping sobs. Trying, trying your absolute hardest, to stay together…but falling apart anyway.
"Shh, let's get you settled," Eddie said, trying to gently guide you to a barstool. But you didn't make it that far. Instead, you collapsed to the ground where you'd stood, sobbing and crumpled up like paper.
"Live wire," Volt said gently, crouching down to face you, "we're right here." You flinched away from him despite his kindness.
"Please don't hurt me," you whispered, eyes clamped closed, "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, it won't happen again, please, I'm sorry."
Eddie darted behind the bar - you flinched at his sudden movement - and came back seconds later with a bottle of water.
"We're not going to hurt you, spark," he said gently. He sat cross legged on the floor next to you and set the water bottle in front of you. "Volt, give her space."
"Eddie, what's going on?" Volt said, suddenly feeling lost. Eddie's demeanor had shifted and the taller man was suddenly feeling out of the loop. What did Eddie know that he was missing?
"Shh, spark," Eddie said soothingly, "We're in the Breaker Box. I'm here with you and Volt. We're not mad and we're not going to hurt you. Volt, why don't you sit down with us? Give her space."
Volt decided to follow Eddie's lead. He seemed to know what was going on, which is more than Volt could say. Volt sat on the floor, moving slowly and giving you plenty of space. You were calming down slightly, recognition dawning in your eyes. For the first time, you made eye contact with Eddie.
"There you are, spark," he said quietly, "Are you back with us?" He smiled comfortingly. Again, Volt felt like he was out of his depth. As far as he'd seen, their spark had been with them the whole time. Obviously a turn of phrase he didn't understand. He was confused and more than a little bit scared - it reminded him of when he was freshly sparked into existence and didn't understand anything yet.
"You're not mad?" You asked hesitantly.
"We're not mad," Eddie confirmed gently.
"But I broke my promise," you said. Your voice cracked and your eyes slipped out of focus again. You were staring into the middle distance at nothing in particular.
"It's okay," Eddie said.
"What promise did you break?" Volt asked. He couldn't help himself. He trusted Eddie's judgment of the situation but he was so damn confused . How could Eddie say a broken promise was okay if they didn't know what promise?
"I overworked myself when I promised I wouldn't," you whispered, clamping your eyes closed again. "Please," this time the plea was breathed so softly Volt wasn't entirely sure he heard it, "please don't hurt me."
"Volt and I - Eddie - we're not mad. We're not going to hurt you. You're in the Breaker Box and you're safe," Eddie said.
"I had to," you tried to explain, "I had to get home. I was - it was so far. I had to drive home."
"How far did you drive?" Volt asked, confused. Eddie shot him a warning glance that told him he should seriously - seriously - not continue that line of questioning. Now was not the time to get curious about details.
"Twelve hours?" You said, your voice breaking. "I think. I lost track."
"We're not mad," Eddie reiterated, "We're sad that you had to do that. I understand, you had to. Can you drink some water for me? It's sealed." He gestured towards the bottle that sat in front of you.
You reached out with shaky hands and picked up the bottle. It was sealed, just as promised. It took a couple of tries to open it but it made the most refreshing sound when you cracked it open. Suddenly realizing how thirsty you were, you drank nearly half the bottle before coming up for air.
“Are you feeling a little better, live wire?” Volt asked softly. He was determined to help. This time, Eddie nodded slightly instead of glaring at him.
“A little, yeah,” you said, your voice hoarse. The occasional hiccup still interrupted your speech. “Do you need to open soon? I can come back later-”
“Spark, nothing is more important than your safety. Every object in this entire house would understand if we stayed closed for you.” You started to interrupt but he cut you off. “And it's nowhere near open anyway.”
Several moments of quiet passed. You drank your water, your eyes slid in and out of focus, and you realized you'd made two grown men sit cross legged on a sticky wooden bar floor.
“I'm sorry to intrude,” you said, your voice small again, “do you think we could go to your flat? It's echoey and sticky in here.”
“Of course, live wire!” Volt said, “Our home is your home. Though I take offense to the claim that the bar floor is anything but pristine.” He shot you a wink but your world had already shrunk down to a pinpoint.
“I'm sorry I offended you,” you said quietly, staring at the floor, “Please don't hurt me.”
“Volt. No jokes right now. You need to mean what you say.” Eddie said. His even tone was at odds with the daggers he was staring at Volt.
“No one is going to hurt you, spark. He was making a joke. Do you need help up?” Eddie asked.
You shook your head and rose to your feet as elegantly as a baby deer. But at least you were upright and you didn't currently have fight-or-flight tunnel vision.
“Let's head upstairs. Do you need help on the stairs?” Eddie asked.
You shook your head, focusing on the steps in front of you. Neither man believed you so Eddie stood to your side and Volt stayed behind you.
After the mountain that was the split staircase, Eddie opened the door into their flat. Your physical hesitancy was momentarily lost as you beelined for the old fabric couch. You grasped a matching threadbare pillow against your stomach, looking like a shield to the world.
Eddie couldn't help but smile at the sight. No matter what was swirling around in your mind, it wasn't strong enough to dislodge your insistence on your spot on the couch. You looked plenty worse for wear but at least now you were in a familiar environment.
“What is going on ?” Volt whispered. He had been various levels of confused this entire time.
“A delicate situation that you've never run into. Either she'll talk about it or I'll tell you about it. Later, though. We need to take care of her.”
“Doesn't she always say she can take care of herself, though?” Volt asked earnestly.
“I wish you had a last name so I could scold you with it. Think of this like her getting the flu. She could take care of herself and eventually feel better or we could help take care of her and she'll be feeling better much faster.”
“So she has the emotional flu.”
“You s – you know what, if that helps, you can think of it that way.”
“So next step is movies, her favorite foods, and getting her to drink fluids?”
“Sorta, yeah. You're smarter than I gave you credit for.”
Volt gave Eddie what can only be described as a shit-eating grin.
-
It turns out that their human flu protocol was remarkably similar to Eddie's plan. After the second animated movie, you were fully in the present, making jokes and eye contact again.
They always gave you shit about oatmeal being one of your favorite foods, decrying it as gross and gummy. But from your seat on the couch, you could see into the kitchen and watched Eddie pulled a container of oats out of the cupboard. Your heart swelled at the quiet act of love. The tears from earlier had dried on your face and you felt them tugging at your skin as you smiled. You nuzzled farther into Volt’s shoulder, who chuckled and ruffled your hair.
Eddie and Volt fussed with a TV table in front of you. After more cursing than expected - how many objects did it take to unfold a table? - there was a stable surface in front of you with oatmeal, a cold sealed water bottle, and a massive glass of ice water. Big enough to be a vase - you guessed they were really concerned about you hydrating after all the tears.
Eddie put on another of your favorite movies and you let your head rest against his shoulder. He made a small noise, almost a hum, when you turned your face towards his chest.
“Your slop is getting cold, spark,” he said, smiling. None of his usual gruffness. Just affection. You stuck out your tongue at him and sat up. Meanwhile he laughed - genuinely laughed, relieved that you were regaining your sense of humor.
You humored him and began eating, soon realizing how starving you truly were. You wolfed down the oatmeal and water - both containers - and sat back comfortably.
There was a companionable silence after that. You rested your head on Volt’s shoulder; his arm came up behind you and gently rubbed the nape of your neck. Barely any pressure, just a gentle touch right at the top of your spine. You immediately felt your eyelids grow heavy.
“Can I lay in your lap?” You asked quietly, fatigue evident in your voice.
“Of course, live wire,” Volt said softly.
You ended up with your head in Volt’s lap, your knees bent, and your calves and feet in Eddie's lap. You usually asked before draping yourself over them, but you were so tired you just…forgot where your feet would go.
Eddie didn't mind; you often ended up in this configuration. He didn't want to scare you, the only helpful action he could think of was softly massaging the bottom of your feet. You relaxed even further into him.
Volt’s hands carded through your hair, gently scratching your scalp. He played with your hair, twirled different sections, ran his hands through this way and that…
You were asleep in seconds.
-
Eddie and Volt were reluctant to wake you. You looked peaceful for the first time in two weeks, like an angel draped over the two of them. They sat that way for the duration of the movie but at the end, glanced at each other with the recognition that they did, in fact, have to move you.
Eddie tried to dislodge himself first, slowly and smoothly sliding away. He gently pushed your ankle to move your feet off him, but…
“Hmph?” you said, bolting upright. Both Volt and Eddie jolted in surprise. Eddie regained his senses first.
“Shh, spark,” he said soothingly, “We didn't mean to wake you. It's time to go to bed.”
“Mmkay,” you said, your eyes still half closed.
“Can you stand up for us? We'll get you into pajamas,” Volt said while Eddie dragged away the TV table. Your eyes were now fully open and for the first time in hours, your brow furrowed.
“I have some of mine in your drawer,” you said hesitantly, “And I'll change in the bathroom.”
Volt raised an eyebrow. “Live wire, why the sudden modesty? It's not like we haven't seen–” his statement was cut off by a cry of pain as Eddie elbowed him in the ribs.
“Change wherever you're comfortable, spark.” He said, his smile at odds with the jab he'd just delivered. “You know where the bathroom is and we'll stay out here til you're done.”
“Promise?” You said, hesitantly.
“I promise,” said by Eddie and Volt simultaneously. Volt’s was a little stuttery as he held his ribs.
You eyed them nervously and walked into the bedroom, closing the door. They heard a drawer and another door before Volt was comfortable talking.
“What did you hit me for? What's going on?” Volt said in a quiet hiss.
“It's a situation you haven't learned about,” Eddie said, rubbing his hand down his face. “I'll explain everything when it's over.”
“And the elbow?” Volt asked. The ache in his ribs wouldn't allow him to forget to ask.
“I needed to shut you up fast,” Eddie said, “because it sounded to her like you were trying to get her naked.”
“I wasn't! But so what if I was? That's normal in a relationship!” Volt wouldn't let it go.
“You don't understand,” Eddie said simply. “If you want our precious spark back to normal–” Volt vigorously nodded at that “--then you need to follow my lead. And shut up when I tell you to. It's too much to explain right now.”
Volt nodded. He was bristling at the belittling way Eddie was speaking to him but he did really, really want his live wire to be okay. And he trusted Eddie.
“It's probably just til the morning,” Eddie said as some small amount of encouragement. “Humans usually feel better after sleep.”
A few moments later, their bedroom door creaked open. You came out in a too-large t-shirt, old pajama pants, and a hesitant smile. Eddie, and then Volt, walked over to you.
“Where do you want to sleep tonight, spark?” Eddie asked, “You have your pick.”
“Can I sleep on the couch?” You ask, “I'll grab my pillow from the bedroom.” Eddie's brow furrowed.
“Maybe we can sleep on the couch and in the chair and you can sleep on the bed,” he offered.
“She can sleep where she wants,” Volt said, having grasped at least this part of the situation. Eddie looked at him with a strange combination of annoyance and pride. Volt gave back his shit-eating grin.
“Do you want to grab your pillow and blanket or should I?” Eddie said, recovering from the ego bruise of the tables being turned.
“Could you grab them please?” you asked. You weren't sure if the volume of your voice was anxiety, fatigue, or both. Eddie was gone and back very quickly and you idly wondered if he'd used some electric speed power. Did that make any sense? You weren't sure anymore; sleep was coming to reclaim you.
With the help of the boys, you settled yourself in a position where you could see the bedroom door and the external door. The nagging anxiety in your brain was placated by this arrangement.
The moment you pulled the blanket up towards yourself, a warm sleep came to envelope you.
-
A timeless length later, you became aware of the cold. You tried to draw your feet under the blanket in your sleep but the chill had done its job to wake you up. Your blanket was half off, leaving you cold and uncomfortable.
You realized another reason you'd woken up: your bladder was very full. All that water had had consequences. It felt like a million miles to get to the ensuite bathroom and you nearly groaned as you started your trek.
Turns out that the tired part of your brain was exaggerating - only a few steps later, you were pushing open the bedroom door, then the bathroom. You did your business and were about to leave when you turned and looked at the two of them in bed.
Both were shirtless, wrapped up in the sheets. Volt was, as usual, being the tall little spoon, with his back flush against Eddie's chest. One of his arms was wrapped around Volt’s belly, just below a reddening area on his ribs. Even in their silliness and their mistakes, you saw them as breathtaking. Beautiful men who you were lucky enough to love.
You tried settling on the couch again, and you were incredibly tired, but sleep just wouldn't come. After a seeming eternity of counting sheep and imagining a river, you had an idea. Something that always, without fail, put you to sleep. Mostly as a child but occasionally into your adulthood.
You got up again, frowning when your feet hit the cold floor, and decided you'd try knocking three times. If neither of them woke up after three, you'd concede that it wasn't meant to happen.
You padded over to their door and knocked quietly on the frame.
No response.
You knocked a little louder.
Volt jolted awake but managed to keep his reaction small enough to not wake Eddie. Volt looked blearily at you as you crooked your finger in a ‘come here’ movement.
He glanced at Eddie, who gave a small snore. Volt moved slowly out from below his arm and glanced back once he'd sat up. So far, so good. He took another minute to creep off the bed and over to you at the doorway.
“Come sit on the chair,” you said, walking into the living room. There was an overstuffed leather chair near the couch, on the side where you'd lain your head. Volt did so, shaking his head slightly to wake himself up.
“I know this might sound weird but…can you sing me to sleep?” you asked in a small voice. He gave you a strange look.
“I don't sing, live wire, you know that.” He said, brow creased, “Is this a…like a thing you're into?”
“What? No,” You said with a disgusted look, “It's not weird or a fetish. It just…it helps me sleep.”
“Let's see if Rainey is up,” Volt said, looking uncomfortable, “I'm sure she has a record of lullabies.”
“But your voice makes me feel safe,” you said. “And if I really can't sleep, someone singing to me - someone I trust - always puts me to sleep.”
Volt looked reluctant.
“I know it's unusual,” you said quietly, “So if you're not comfortable with it, I understand, I can–”
“No!” Volt said, a little too loudly, “Sorry. I mean, no, I'm not uncomfortable with it. If it helps you feel safe then I can survive feeling a little self conscious.”
You beamed and amps sake, Volt would move mountains to see that smile.
“Thank you,” you said quietly, still smiling while you got back under your blanket.
“But I…I don't know any lullabies,” Volt admitted.
“Here, take my phone. If you just look up lullabies they'll come up and there's audio so you can hear the tune.” You paused. “Thank you,” you said again, quietly.
It takes him a few minutes but he finds a song he likes that has a tune he can follow.
He begins with so much self-consciousness that he feels he might keel over. He's not a singer, not by a long shot.
Lullaby and goodnight, with roses bedight
He feels so silly that he almost stops right there. But you're looking at him like he hung the moon. He figures he can go a little longer.
With lilies o'er spread is my darling's bed
His voice catches on a wrong note but you don't seem to notice.
Lay thee down now and rest, may your slumber be blessed
Lay thee down now and rest, may your slumber be blessed
You're blinking slowly, still looking at Volt but clearly losing focus
Lullaby and goodnight, the whole world's delight
Bright angels beside my darling abide
Volt feels patently ridiculous singing about angels. Your long blinks have turned into closed eyes.
They will soothe your distress, you shall wake after rest
They will soothe your distress, you shall wake after rest
When he's done he's worried you'll be disappointed somehow, like he didn't do it right. But a glance at you erases that worry. Not only are you asleep, your face is fully relaxed - you look utterly peaceful.
He feels a sense of pride bloom in his chest for being the one who helped put you in such a deep sleep. Even if it was only due to his objectively mediocre voice singing an old lullaby.
He gazes down at you for what felt like ages.
There are still so many unanswered questions, so many details he felt he was missing. Why had Eddie given you a sealed water bottle? How had you ended up in the driving situation in the first place? Why did stress - albeit extreme stress - cause you to beg your doting boyfriends not to hurt you? Why were you suddenly shy about changing clothes? What did Eddie know that he didn’t?
Volt decides that those are questions for the morning. He kisses you on the forehead, rises and stretches, and walks to his bedroom. He snuggles up with Eddie. The tune of the lullaby is still going through his head as he falls asleep.