Work Text:
It took you quite a bit of time to show your face around the club in the first place. You spent a lot of your time with Koa, enjoying the quiet, the lack of conversation made you anxious in the beginning but eventually not having to predict how your facial expressions should look, rehearse how you're gonna say something in your head a million times before you say it, or overthink everything you ever said you started to enjoy the quiet.
For awhile what kept you away was Dorian's warning about the "miscreants" in the closet, but talking to Tony had you wondering how true it could've been. After all Tony was no miscreant. He was just loud.
Besides, you told yourself you were going to use the dateviators to help around your house. Maybe they had something for you to help with.
That was what you kept telling yourself as you stood in your closet staring at your fuse box with the glasses clutched in one hand. You put them on, shot a beam and there he..holy shit.
He's beautiful. Light surrounds his hair giving him that same sort of angelic look you saw when you first met Lux. He standing there looking at you expectantly and you realize that you hadn't heard a word of what he just said.
"Sorry, what?" Your face flushes when he chuckles and leans down just slightly too close, you back up on instinct.
"No need to apologize live wire." Oh you liked hearing him call you that. "I was merely asking about what kept you away, we've been wondering when you would make your way here." His hand brushes a stray hair out of your face and lingers just slightly too long on your face. As if you weren't a total stranger, what was he doing? Your head ran the million reasons and motives he could've had for being so casual with his affections. It had to be a joke, you'd been there before, too many times to count. You wouldn't say it made you closed off! No matter how many times Ben-hwa tried to tell you it had, it simply made you cautious. You chuckled nervously, giving him a smile as he led you inside, you found a way to side step out of his arm around your waist as he led you inside the club. You mostly listened while he talked nodding along here and there until.
"Volt." Oh there's two of them? You're used to only seeing one person, unless its Curt and Rod. You tune out a lot of the conversation, the music in the club making you mildly overstimulated until you hear the sort of disdain in his voice when he adresses you.
Can you really call it adressing?
"The human? Why would I wanna do that." You turn your gaze back to them before he leaves with little more than a nod at you.
Did you do something wrong?
"No dear nothing wrong at all. His human skills leave..a lot to be desired." Volt says smoothing over the worry that had tugged at his brow when Eddie had come over.
The lights flicker but when you ask about them you get a weird non answer instead of what you'd been hoping for.
You're fairly zoned out for most of the show, Johnny gives you a shy wave from the stage and you return it with a quiet smile, but otherwise you sip a glass of water and debate seeing if Eddie would give you a coke. You were anxious he'd laugh if you asked for something non-alcoholic. In the end you didn't move from your table and as the club came to a close you approached Eddie with caution.
"Club's closed." He says as you approach, he barely looks up from the drink he nurses.
"I just, wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed off earlier." You stand by the bar but don't sit.
He looks at you for a moment, you can't tell if he's mad at the question. "I'm fine. Bye."
You don't like the way you feel as you leave.
You don't come back for a couple of days.
And then a few more.
---
Volt notices, Eddie's too busy working himself to death to notice much. He's getting ready for sleep after a rough closing when he mentions it. "I haven't seen the human since that first night." He says, trying to act casually while he brushes his fingers through his hair in front of the little vanity in their room. Eddie grunts something incoherent from the bed. He yawns before he says anything, tucked under a few blankets.
"Really? I hadn't noticed" He says pulling a banket higher on his shoulders.
"Hard to notice anything when you're buried in work." Volt mutters from his spot across the room. "I think you spooked them." He says with a sigh before joining Eddie in the bed.
"Me? I barely talked to them." He says turning as the lights flick off. "You on the other hand. Hand on the waist may have been much, I saw that little side step they did." Volts hand traces his jaw with a chuckle.
"Careful darling, You almost sound jealous." He plants a kiss to Eddie's cheek. "You know my heart is yours spark." Eddie grunts again turning back around.
"Wake me up in the morning please? I still have some shit to get done before we open." Volt doesn't answer. He won't wake him and they both know that, so he won't make a promise that he can't keep.
You show the next night. As if the mention of you had summoned you to the place.
"Live wire!" Volt sounds relieved to see you came back. You give him a shy wave and look around for Eddie, when you don't find him you go to ask but Volt distracts you whisking you away to a table. When the show concludes you go to leave and find Eddie sneaking back out here to do work.
You give him a wave, He says something that you don't quite hear. He looks like he's uncomfortable talking. You feel bad so you tell him you'll leave.
You don't remember what led to him inviting you to help, or what you said to prompt it but you find yourself there the next night.
You seem to crack his shell at least a little. He's funny, and though he's not a great teacher, and you do hit your thumb more than a couple times with a hammer, you have fun. When he leaves you hop on the ladder without thinking. You almost reached the bulb.
"Wait hold on that ladders on-" he's too late, the ladder collapses and you're prepared to feel your back him the ground but it doesn't. He catches you. "Are you okay?" his voice shakes, his grip is tight on you and he doesn't move to let you go.
You nod. "I..I think so?" When he doesn't put you down you say, "You can put me down now. Sorry"
"What the hell were you doing up there?" He sets you down holding you by the shoulders. You flinch pulling out of his grip and he takes a step back when he notices your anxiety seem to rise, you stiffen.
"You told me to change the bulb." Your voice is small when it comes out and you turn.
"I told you to change the one behind the bar. That floors unstable you could've been hurt." You flinch again at the anger in his voice, you just wanted to help. You mumble an apology and the night ends. you come back the next day with your guard up. You promised to help so you would but after that you'd give him what he clearly wanted, you'd leave him be.
He doesn't leave you alone the next day watching over you like a hawk and you can't tell if it's because he doesn't like you being in his bar or if he doesn't want anything to hurt you again. You can't tell.
"You're quiet." He notes.
"You don't like me. I don't know why. Or what I did but I said I'd help you so that's what I'm gonna do. And then you'll never have to see me again." You keep hammering the floorboard not looking up at him.
"I never said I didn't like you." He says squatting to your level.
"You don't need to. You show it, You seem so pissed about my coming around." You say standing to find the next thing to do.
There's nothing. Eddie mixes you a drink at the bar, you take it with a smile but drink it warily. "Did I do something?" You ask flat out. Eddie shakes his head.
He's completely taken back by the question, it's infuriating how much he thinks there's nothing you could do to make him hate you, he's exhausted but with your help he hasn't felt this good in days. "What could you possibly have done?"
You don't answer him. You get up to leave but he stops you. "Are you coming tomorrow night?" he asks, you give him a confused look. When you shrug he lets you go, and you walk out the door.
"Now tell me how the hell you managed to fuck that up." Reggie Says from behind him. Eddie twists and rolls his eyes. "Get the fuck out."
You don't show again for a few days and this time Eddie brings it up.
He's putting Volts hair up before bed, a little ritual they had that neither knew when it started.
"They haven't been coming around." He says not hiding the worry. Volt nods as best he can when half his hair is in Eddie's fist. "Do you really think I spooked them?" He looks down at the blankets and Volt sighs and turns to face him.
"I don't know why they decide to avoid us. They get on well with everyone in the house I've heard, even Cam seems to be at least civil with them and you know how he is." Volt stands, climbing into the bed. "I think all we can do is hope they show tomorrow night."
You meanwhile lay in your bed rambling at Lux who seems to have completely given up filming their fifth piece of content for the night. "Lux I don't know what to do! I don't understand what I did that made them hate me so much. And I haven't heard a peep from Reggie the whole time. Like, a rejection so bad even the concept of rejection doesn't wanna talk about it." You rest your head on one of the pillows curling in on yourself while Lux looks at you with a dumbfounded look.
"Girl-" You interrupt them, "No you don't get it you have people fawn over you at every corner-"
"Oh my god they're in love with you." Lux says finally snapping a compact mirror shut. You look at them like they grew a second head.
"Have you heard a word I said? Volt was so touchy from the start that means its a joke and Eddie wants absolutely nothing to do with me clearly I mean fuck he was like my second shadow while we were fixing the bar-"
"He was watching to make sure you didn't almost kill yourself. Again." They supply the more logically answer, "And Volt, is just like that I think. He's all charm but do you see the way they look at you when you're there?" You shake your head at this. But you can't find anything to argue.
"And Reggie not showing up means they never outwardly rejected you." Lux pulls you up grabbing your makeup bag and rifling through your closet. "Get up and put this on." They say throwing an outfit at you. "We're going to the club!" They beam at the idea clearly proud of it. They drag you out when you're ready and conveniently disappear into the crowd with a simple muttering of "I'm literally so amazing. you're welcome bye babes!" Right as Volt approaches.
He looks relieved again to see you. And you notice that he's more reserved with his touches this time. When he invites you to dance with him you search his face for any signs of a joke, a trick. You find nothing but his waiting hand. You flinch back only for a moment before you take his hand. He smiles and with gentle ease leads you deeper into the club. You notice the eyes on the two of you as he seems to pull you to a more secluded corner of the club.
"As much as I enjoy being the center of the spotlight. I'd rather be the center of yours right now." He says, He's too close, too far. He leads you with grace not flinching when you accidentally step on his toes. Even shushing your apologies when you try to say you're sorry. he pulls you flush against him when you try to pull away the second time you step on him.
"Do you flirt with everyone like this?" You ask as the music comes to a stop, his eyebrows lift just a little.
"Only one other." He says tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. You give him a shrug.
"Yeah well. I'm sure your boyfriend wouldn't approve. I don't think he likes me much." He looks confused for a moment. But the show has to start in just a few moments.
"Wait for me. After the show?" He asks, you find yourself nodding and he's off.
You sit and listen to the announcement, watching him on stage with a bit of awe before he crumbles, he seems to be in pain. You stand from your seat intending to make your way over to him but the lights flick out.
You feel your way around listening to the sound of panic as people make their way out. "Hello?" You feel a door, push through, more dark. The door shuts behind you and you call out again. "Hello?"
"Over...agh! Over here." You walk closer to where you find Eddie, Volt's helping him stand, he stands just slightly in front of Eddie while you three speak. Eddie looks nervous when you go to flip the breaker. But after a lot of redirecting the power gradually flicks back on.
You find Eddie at the bar. He nods at you, "Hey live wire." He says, he sounds tired but not nearly as tired as you'd heard the last couple days.
You look at him, it looks like a weight was taken off his shoulders. "Are you..?" You trail off. He nods.
"Yeah. I..I haven't felt this..good in so long." He's got a glass in his hand and he looks more at it than you. Volt finds his way over and you can feel the relief that radiates off of Eddie at the sight of him. You've never actually seen them this close to each other before, Volt rests his forehead against Eddies, relief mirroring his expression. "You're okay." He says quietly. You take a step back to give them privacy.
"I'm alright, I'm right here my spark. Are you okay?" Volt seems to search Eddie's face for any pain. When he finds nothing they pull apart and look at you. "Thank you." Volt says motioning for you to come closer. Him and Eddie exchange a look. Volt looks at you, then back at Eddie, he clears his throat pointedly.
"Thank you. For everything. Without your help I wouldn't have..things wouldn't..Fuck it you know what I'm trying to say." He runs a hand through his hair and Volt chuckles.
"He means to say he's quite taken with you. Despite, some first impressions we seem to have made." Volt seems to move to take your hand but thinks better of it.
Your brow furrows. "Taken with me? As in..?"
"As in do I really need to spell it out." Eddie turns to polish a glass that's already clean. Volt laughs, covering his mouth with one hand.
You nod stepping a little closer to the two of them. "The feelings mutual." You give them a quiet smile, but the anxiety you felt over them had yet to really quell. "But uhm. Is it okay if we go kinda slow?"
"Darling we'd be more than happy to have you." Volt says pulling you into a loose hug. "At whatever pace you would like."