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You sat bolt upright in bed, gasping and heaving, fingers clutching the thin material of your night shirt. Tears sprang to your eyes and you curled up in your bed, hugging your knees to your chest. It was never a pleasant experience when you met Nightmare, no matter what brave face you put on for her. No matter how much you tell her you're not scared, she always finds a way to get under your skin, popping up at the most inconvenient times, regardless of whether or not you had visited Kopi late in the evening. Tonight Nightmare's visit was random, which made it all the harder to handle. After you had calmed yourself, only the occasional hiccupping sigh escaping your lips, you swing your legs over the side of your bed, clutching the edge just a little too tightly before you think better of it and release your grip.
"Sorry, Betty," you whisper, remembering that this late at night your once unseen housemates are trying to rest. You scrub your hand down your face and glace to your bedside table, right where the Dateviators were charging. With any luck, there'd be just enough charge to do... something. What that was you weren't entirely sure yet. You considered going downstairs and getting some tea or a glass of water, but you didn't want to disturb Sinclair or Daisuke. Instead, you resign yourself to sliding on your soft bunny slippers and placing the Dateviators gently on your face. Thankfully, Skylar decided against making an appearance, leaving your room eerily silent. The quiet and the dark had started getting to you, that chilling feeling sinking back into your bones.
Without a thought of how you got there, or what compelled you to even go there, you found yourself standing at the doors to your electrical closet, before it morphed into the doors of the familiar speakeasy, The Breaker Box. You knew it was late, and you probably shouldn't be here, but you at least wanted to check if anyone was still up. You knew that Eddie and Volt were night owls, so with any luck they'd still be around. A cursory glance at your phone revealed that it was, in fact, two in the morning, and regret was already starting to set in. Before you could allow yourself a chance to change your mind, you turned the handle to the door to The Breaker Box, surprised to find it unlocked.
The door swung inward and stepped quietly inside, gently closing the door behind you. A dim light was still shining above the bar, a few empty glasses strewn across the bar top, alongside a damp cleaning cloth. You hoped that meant that Volt had talked Eddie into getting some rest and finishing his work in the morning, even though that meant you'd come by for no reason and would have to return to bed alone. The thought of returning to the darkness of your bedroom made your palms sweat and your heart skip a beat, the sick feeling of Nightmare's visit returning to pool in the bottom of your stomach. However, you didn't get to dwell on that feeling long before you heard a thump, followed by muffled cursing as Eddie stood from behind the bar, rubbing the back of his head as if he'd hurt himself. You smiled softly, laughing quietly, the sound just enough to alert the man to your presence. He looked up from whatever it was that he'd been doing, catching your eye from across the room.
"Live wire? What are you doing here? We thought you'd gone to bed hours ago," Eddie said, moving a bit like he was unsure what to do.
"Couldn't sleep," you said quietly, coming up to the bar and placing yourself on one of the stools nearest to Eddie. He reached under the bar for a clean glass, reaching next for a bottle or whiskey before noting the look on your face and deciding against it.
"Nightmare?" he asked softly, placing a few ice cubes into the glass. You nodded mutely. "Wanna talk about it?"
You shook your head, thanking Eddie when he handed you a glass of ice cold chocolate milk, absently wondering when he'd started stocking such a thing. You decided not to dwell on it.
Eddie returned to his task, cleaning the few glasses still left out. The quiet hum of the electricity in the lights above the bar offered you comfort, the familiar smell of the bar lulling you into a sense of security. You could easily fall asleep then and there if it weren't for the memory of the nightmare still niggling at the back of your mind. You shudder before taking another sip of your drink, the motion not escaping Eddie's attention. Before he can ask about it, you decide to break the silence.
"Where's Volt?"
Eddie hummed softly and shrugged, placing a newly cleaned glass into its place beneath the bar.
"He said he'd be back to help me clean up," he said, glancing at the clock on the wall behind him, "an hour ago."
You let out a sound that could have been or sigh or a soft scoff, taking another sip of your drink. You place the empty glass on the bar, and Eddie takes it from you so he can clean it. Left with nothing to occupy your hands with, you find yourself growing tired, resting your head on your hand as you lean against the bar, closing your eyes and listening to Eddie work. You found yourself dozing, startled awake by hand brushing against your leg. You gasped, jolting fully awake, only relaxing at the welcome sight of Eddie, who was now standing in front of you, hands held up in a placating manner, as if soothing a scared animal.
"Easy there, doll, it's just me." You try to respond, but the unwanted tears made an unwelcome appearance and you found yourself at a loss for words. Eddie looked startled. He'd seen you upset before, hell even seen you cry before, especially after you'd thought you'd lose him and Volt when you had to reset the electrical box. He could handle it back then since was, you know, dying, but this was something he was completely unfamiliar with. He had no idea how to react to this, had no idea how to comfort you.
You furiously rubbed your eyes, wiping the tears from your cheeks, feeling a painful pang in your chest when you opened your eyes again and found Eddie was no longer right in front of you. You sighed and put your head in your hands, shoulders shuddering, your thoughts interrupted when you hear the soft drone of music coming from Eddie's old record played. It's a soft melody, unfamiliar but not unwelcome. When look up again, Eddie is once more standing in front of you, his hand outstretched to you. You take it, a puzzled expression gracing your features, and you let yourself be dragged up from your chair and taken to a secluded spot, just out of the way of tables and chairs used by patrons most nights.
Eddie takes a deep breath to steady himself, placing one hand on your hip, his other finding one of your hands. You place your free hand on his shoulder and let him lead you. The two of you sway gently to the music coming from the old speaker on the ancient record player, the warm crackling of the record making the space all the more intimate. Eddie's movements are soft and unhurried, less and dance and more just the two of you swaying to the music. After a few moments, you lay your forehead on Eddie's shoulder, letting your body sink comfortably into his warmth, Eddie resting his chin atop your head. The soft crackle of electricity caused by his closeness is comfortable, familiar. All memory of your nightmare is gone, replaced by Eddie's warmth and soft breath against your skin. You have no idea how much time has passed when you feel a second person's presence approach, soft lips grazing the back of your neck before two more hands place themselves on your waist. You're too tired to acknowledge Volt's arrival, but his presence is welcome.
You feel Eddie's chest rumble as he converses quietly with Volt, and you can vaguely register that it might be about you, but you don't very much care to pay attention to what is being said. You feel Volt wrap his arms fully around you from behind, Eddie carefully extracting himself from you, adjusting your head so that it rests against Volt's chest, the taller man continuing to sway with you. You whine gently at the loss of contact, a noise that you would have found embarrassing had you been more present, but the protest is quieted when Eddie places a kiss to your forehead. Keeping your eyes closed, you revel in Volt's warmth as your hear Eddie slipping away.
You had nearly fallen all the way asleep when Eddie returned, lights turned off fully, music stopped, the sound of keys jingling in his hand.
"Come on, live wire," you hear Volt whisper. "Let's get you back to bed."
Before you can protest, you are lifted into Volt's arms, one placed firmly beneath your knees, the other wrapped tightly around your shoulders. You nuzzle into Volt's neck, inhaling his warm scent. You feel yourself being carried, and you vaguely register the sound of Eddie locking the door to The Breaker Box, before you are carried down the hall to your bedroom.
Volt gently lowers you into your bed, carefully removing his arms from around you before pulling your blankets up to your shoulders, placing a kiss to your forehead, then each of your cheeks, before placing a lingering kiss to your lips, which you reciprocate sleepily. Eddie does the same before sitting next to you on your bed.
"Looks like our live wire's all tuckered out," Volt whispered, Eddie responding with a chuckle. After a minute, he carefully lifted himself from your bed, making sure he didn't wake you. You were now fully asleep, your chest rising and falling softly. Volt placed Teddy next to you, to keep you company should Nightmare choose to appear again. For her sake, he knew she wouldn't. Eddie placed one last kiss to your hair before gently removing the Dateviators from your face, placing them back on the charger on your bedside table.
"Take care of them, Betty," he said quietly, despite knowing you could no longer hear him, and he no longer needed to be quiet. It felt right anyways.
Come morning, you woke to the light streaming through your bedroom window, the clock on your dresser revealing you'd slept in much later than you'd intended, though you did feel well rested. You tried to make sense of what had happened last night before your attention drifted to your bedside table. A glass of water that had not previously been there sat upright, a folded note laying next to it.
Take care of yourself,
Our live wire.
- E & V
A small smile graced your lips. It felt good to be loved, especially when it came from those two.