Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Breaker Box is back to its brightly lit and well-populated glory with it's inimitable host standing ready at the door to greet you. You can’t help but grin at the vivacious smile thrown your way by him. "Live wire! You look ravishing, as usual. Do we have the pleasure of your company for another evening? Be honest, you enjoyed yourself so much last time you just couldn't stay away. Am I right?"

You chuckle softly, and can’t help the soft smile that crosses your face as you tuck an errant strand of hair behind your ear,"The club is nice, but that's not what keeps me coming back..."

Volt smirks, raising an eyebrow as he shifts on his feet, crossing his arms as he does so,"Is that so? What is it that has captured your attentions, then?"

Your blush deepens even as you roll your eyes, but no real malice is in your tone as you answer,"You, obviously"

Volt chuckles, "The spark is undeniable. And mutual, I assure you. I was rather hoping you would come by today. What do you say we enjoy it a little more closely together, hm? Care to dance?"

You smile a little nervously, already reaching for his offered hand, "Okay, but fair warning I'm terrible at this."

He leads you onto the floor, not once losing your eyes as you bob and sway to the music, Volt's expertly guiding you about the dance floor with a deft hand and a little guidance, "You move quite beautifully, live wire. I'm certain I don't know what you were so worried about."

The song has slowed down, beginning to fade, but Volt has left his arm encircling your waist. He turns his face to yours and plants a kiss on your lips that takes your breath away. Time seems to stop while the two of you are connected-your entire body tingles, as though you've just been plugged into an electrical socket. And then, far sooner than you'd like, the song ends, and with it Volt's kiss. He smiles at you, his eyelids low and hooded. "It's far too easy to lose oneself with you…” he whispers before something behind you seems to catch his attention and he sighs, “Loathe as I am to say it, I must leave to start the show."

For the first time that evening, the power begins to fluctuate. It's louder than it has been before and it does seem to go on. Both of your eyes flick up to the lights and he seems to read the concern in your eyes, giving you a soft chuckle, "Don't let the surge fool you. My power is just fine. Don't think I'm done with you yet, live wire." With a cheeky wink, Volt leaps to the stage as you settle into your seat. "Good evening my fellow objects and gentlethings! I hope you're ready for..."

The power surges violently and Volt stumbles. He catches his breath and steadies himself. "r...ready for an incredible performance! Tonight we-...we have...we..." The system buzzes, cracking and flaring. Volt drops to a knee and clutches his belly...the surge rages until the very room seems to shake when suddenly...the lights go out.

"Volt!!" You cry, bolting out of your seat, a stone forming quickly in the pit of your stomach. You hear nothing but the panic of the audience, the confused scrape of chairs.

You find your way to the stage and use it’s raised edge to guide you away from the din, carefully but as quickly as you can manage, in the dark to hear familiar voices, "You...You have to...stop, Eddie."

"No, I can get it back. Just...Just give me a minute to recharge. I...I can-Ungh."

As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you can make out that you have made it to the backroom, a forgotten corner. The electrical power grid hangs on the wall, with Eddie slumped against it. Both Eddie and Volt look exhausted...Eddie dangerously so. He fiddles with the grid controls as Volt looks on, panicked desperation evident in his eyes, "Stop, Eddie please. Just let me go out. You're going to fry yourself completely!"

Eddie growls in response, "I said no, Volt."

"Eddie..."

"I can fix this."

"Eddie..."

"Fucks sake Volt, I'm not letting you go out, okay?! We both know what that could mean and I'm not...I can't...I can't go back to being alone. I can't lose you."

"You can't keep splitting yourself like this. If you do, then..."

Volt finally notices your presence, and he moves to stand. Eddie holds him back. "It's fine, they deserve to know."

"What's going on, what's happening to you guys?” You ask, trying and failing to keep the fear out of your voice as you see these two men who have come to mean so much to you in such a short time in such obvious pain, a hand clutched over your heart as if that could get it to stop from jackhammering in your chest.

"I...I'm failing. The power is failing, and I can't stop it." Eddie leans back against the grid controls, his posture crooked and jagged. He seems ready to combust from the inside, but years of control are keeping him standing...for now. "It was slow enough at first I didn't even notice it. Small fluctuations, random surges...The entire house depends on my power, and it's my job to keep it stable for them. To keep them all safe. I had to work hard to compensate. I thought if I could outlast it, it would all balance out. But it only made things worse. Even more unstable. So I had to push even harder just to keep up. And then it just became...normal. To always be completely drained, barely hanging on. I don't know how long it took me to realize that it was my fault to begin with. My...faulty wire. I was the problem, but I couldn't stop. They still needed me.”

"That's too much for anyone to take on their own." You found yourself interjecting. Oh, how your heart broke for this man, even as it intimately understood his plight. Feeling like you were running out of life but knowing that you couldn’t let it show because it felt like others needed you more. That they depended on you to be alright, and you didn’t have the ability to tell them no. You might not be as literally necessary as Eddie was, but you could definitely empathize.

"Exactly. They needed me, and I needed help. So...I gave it to myself. I...I split myself. So there was more of me to go around. I made Volt. He was my fix."

You blink, looking from Eddie to Volt, who looked somewhere between like he wanted to shield Eddie from you, and like he couldn’t quite meet your eyes, before looking back to the slumped man,"So you're actually...one person? Er, thing?" You asked slowly, trying to make sure you understood what Eddie was saying.

"We're not one thing. But we're not two things. We're...connected. Ungh!" Eddie cuts off as he lets out a gasp. The small glow around Eddie flickers and dims, he's clearly in pain. "This club has to run. It's power. It's light and music and heat and energy. It's everything. And I have to have Volt to make it work. I...I made him."

Volt sighs, shoulders slumping slightly as he shook his head, "It was supposed to be temporary. It only slowed things down by spreading out the power. But then even that became too much. And now maintaining me is draining him just as much as..."

Eddie interjects before Volt can finish his sentence, eyes intense and expression stubborn, "Just stop, I already told you."

Volt spoke softly, looking resigned even as he regarded the other man,"Eddie, they still need you. It's my job to protect you. Even from yourself."

"We're not doing it, it's too risky!" Eddie’s voice took on a panicked edge, desperately denying whatever it was that Volt seemed to be insisting upon.

"What is? What do you need?" You interject this time, having been taking steps closer as they spoke almost without realizing it, until you stood on the opposite side of Eddie, eyes darting between the man and Volt.

Volt’s quiet for a moment before he sets his jaw and for the first time since this started looks directly at you,"The faulty wire."

"Volt, don't!"

Volt doesn’t even flinch, keeping his eyes only on you, the only indication that he even heard Eddie is in his hand tightening ever so slightly over yours, "You have to fix the wire and reset the system."

Eddie grabs onto your sleeve, making you look at him, looking more afraid and desperate than you had previously believed he was capable of, "If you do that, Volt could disappear. I don't know if I could bring him back! Please, you can't!"

This was…an impossible choice, but also no choice at all. If you did this, there was a very real possibility this was the last time you would see the vibrant man you’d just shared a kiss with not ten minutes ago. But if you didn’t, Eddie would die. A possibility versus a certainty, no choice at all really. But that didn’t mean it didn’t break your heart. Taking a deep breath, you didn’t even try to hide the tears in your eyes as you put a hand over Eddie’s, speaking softly, "Change is scary, but it can lead to something good."

His gaze drops, eyes squeezing shut as if he’s trying to deny the reality of the situation, "Going back to what it was before could never be good."

You gently squeeze his hand, letting him know that you’re there, no matter what, "Whatever happens, you won't be going back, you won’t ever be alone again. I'm here, and I’m not going anywhere."

Seeing you were getting through to the shorter man in a way that he’d never been able to, Volt gently pushes alongside you."It's the only fix left, Eddie. We have to try."

Eddie sits there for a long moment, then finally nods. "You remember where the tools are? I'll...walk you through what to do."

You take a deep breath, put on a determined expression even if tears are still in your eyes and nod, rushing off to get the tools before coming back as quickly as possible, sliding the last several feet back to the two men’s sides. Volt was now seated next to Eddie, both of them in obvious pain and their energy waning quickly.

If your hands shake slightly as Eddie walks you through the process of fixing the faulty wire, you don’t think either of them will hold it against you…you hope that you’ll be able to ask them after this is over. Before you can get too wrapped up in your own thoughts, Eddie’s patient voice guides you out of it,"You're doing great, almost there." His breath hitches for a moment and he winces, biting his lip in hesitation, "Wait. Fuck. Are we sure we have to do this?"

"Quite. It's time, Eddie." Volt replied, which you were immensely glad for, because you weren’t entirely sure you could trust your own voice at the moment. Your hands hovered over the last steps, breathlessly waiting for the go-ahead.

Eddie growls, but it’s a far more tired one than any he’s given previously, sounding more defeated than anything, "Fine, fine, alright just...Before..that.” His gaze drifts from Volt, to you, and then back to Volt, as if he’s not entirely sure which one he should be more focused on, “I just wanted to thank you. For being here. I guess. Whatever...Just do it before I change my mind."

Eddie leads you through the last couple of steps, patient and attentive despite his reservations. When you've finished, he gives you the nod to do the rest. The dim light around Eddie and Volt blinks out completely, leaving you in total darkness.For a few moments, everything is quiet and dark. And then, a rustle...The lights turn on.

Your heart is in your throat as you cautiously begin to look around, terrified that you’d done something wrong and lost both of them in one fell swoop. Softly, you call out, "Eddie? Volt? D…Did it work?" while silently praying to whoever may have been listening that you hadn’t just killed the only two men who’d ever won your heart.

"Over here..." Eddie is sitting at the bar, looking haggard but with a light in his eyes you've never seen before. "Oof, hey there, live wire."

Even as you sag in relief at the sight of Eddie, your heart cracks at the nickname you’d come to love, coming out of a mouth that’s never said it before. You take a shaky breath,"Live wire. Only Volt calls me that."

"Ha. I guess that's true, funny. Felt really natural to say. I...feel good. I'm pretty tired. But after a reset that's normal.I don't know. I just feel...stable. I'd almost forgotten what this felt like."

"Where's Volt?" You knew the answer, but you had to hear it from Eddie before you let yourself accept the reality of the situation, and start to figure out how to heal from it. At least Eddie was alright. At least you wouldn’t be alone again. It entirely surprises you therefore, when a familiar British accent comes from behind you.

"Eddie, isn't there something you wanted to talk about first?"

You can’t help the bright grin that breaks out on your face as you whirl around to see Volt striding up to the bar, hands in his pockets and smirk firmly planted on his lips. “Volt!”

You can’t help but almost fling yourself at him in your relief, and his warm, strong arms are ready and waiting to accept you as you cling to him for a few moments. Taking a deep breath after letting yourself confirm that he was really, truly here and not some sort of hallucination, you turn in his arms as much as you can without removing your own from around Volt’s neck to regard Eddie, who was still sitting at the bar. The man looks much the same, though the tired smile on his face is unmistakable. That smile fades into familiar annoyance as Volt chuckles, teasingly reiterating, “Well, Eddie?”
Blowing out a sigh, Eddie rolled his eyes, "....Fine. You...were...right. I was holding on so tight to the way I thought things had to be, I didn't realize all that did was trap both of us in a situation that wasn't working. And honestly, I'm not sure I would ever have been able to see it. If it wasn't for you." He says, eyes adjusting the slightest bit to shift his gaze from Volt to you for that last comment.

Volt chuckles, purring into your ear, "What he means is he's quite taken with you."

"Volt..."

Volt completely ignores the warning tone in Eddie’s voice, gazing down at you with outright fondness, his eyes dancing with joy,"We both are. But I'm sure you already knew that, look at you!"

"Wait, taken with me as in...?" You raise an eyebrow, releasing his neck and turning in Volt’s embrace easily to regard Eddie, a small smirk of your own playing across your lips.

"As in do we really have to spell it out?"

You decide to be merciful to the gruffer man, eyes softening and regarding him with all the easy affection you’d felt for this man after the time you’d spent with him,"The feeling is very much mutual."

Eddie rubs the back of his neck, looking just slightly uncomfortable and perhaps a little shocked, "Really? I mean, if you're interested, we wouldn't mind you, you know, sticking around. If you feel like. Or whatever."

Volt grins, kissing your cheek, "We'd be delighted to have you."

You beam, leaning back against Volt’s chest as you continue to look at Eddie,"I'm in, for as long as you two’ll have me."

Eddie breaks into a rare genuine smile, grunting just slightly as he stands up, "Alright well, if you're gonna stick around, might as well be useful. Come on, you remember where the tools are, let's go."

Volt laughs even as he relinquishes you from his hold, letting you drift over to take Eddie’s outstretched hand as he heads into behind the bar, "I'll send over some drinks."

Chapter Text

That had been two months ago, though it feels like an entire lifetime. Since then, you’d made friends with most of the rest of the Things in your house before giving them the option to become Realized. Every single one says yes, many joyfully so. You feel a little bad when you notice that you were talking less with your favorites…feel a complex guilt in your gut at the idea that you only were ignoring them because if you spoke to them, you’d feel like you had to…like you SHOULD offer them the same chance as all the others but…and your stomach turns again, you're afraid. Most of those who you’d managed to Realize still kept in contact to some degree, but they're busy getting their own lives started and while you understand they had more important things on their mind than hanging out with you…it still feels a little lonely after being able to see them whenever you liked.

Still, that list is rapidly dwindling, and the guilt growing as your eyes inevitably slide across their items as you make your way to something else. You miss them, but the knowledge that they're THERE, that you aren’t alone, is too comforting for you to give up quite yet. Some of them, like Mateo, or Dante, or Cabrizzio, you can excuse because they require incredibly high SPECS stats, others…you find yourself stopped outside your upstairs closet again after speaking to Zoey.

You ACHE to hear Volt’s smooth voice again, see that wry smile curl onto Eddie’s lips against his will, the easy safety that the Breaker Box affords you no matter what time of day it is, or what kind of week you’ve been having. But….your mind whispered. But…you hope they'll forgive you. They're electricity, they're all over the house. They HAD to be aware of what you were doing, how long you’d left them without an invitation into the human realm. It's selfish, you know, and cruel, but your heart twists at the thought of them doing as all the others had done…as everyone has done your entire life. Left you behind, left you alone. The house will feel so, incredibly big, and empty, without the knowledge that they're here.

It's funny, in an incredibly isolating way, you’d never really noticed how big your house was before Skylar dropped into your lap. Now the prospect of essentially going back to what your life had been like, on the day to day, before that seminal event left you feeling so empty it nearly drives you to your knees and steals the breath from your lungs.

They’ll leave…they’ll leave because you aren’t enough for them. They’ll leave because you gave them what they wanted and then they’ll have no use for you. Isn’t that what people do? An insidious voice whispers in the back of your head. You try to argue that no, these Things that you’d made your friends weren’t like that, they won’t DO that.

Oh really? Like Barry didn’t leave? How long has it been since you’ve heard from Beau? Or Gaia? Or even your oldest ‘friend’, Teddy? Can you even remember the last time you didn’t have to be the first one to reach out? The voice counters, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes at the thought of each Thing that you’d Realized, only to have them sweep out of your life to begin their own. But that's different, you cling to desperately, they didn’t mean to. Starting a life from scratch is incredibly difficult, even with Sam and Franklin helping behind the scenes to make sure they had all the correct paperwork.

Lies you tell yourself to cope with the fact that, at the end of the day, if someone doesn’t want something from you, they don’t want YOU. The voice spits, with enough force that it almost felt like a physical blow. Maybe…you admit, a tear cutting a path down your cheek, but at the end of the day, I’m not doing this for me. Most and Valdivian are getting closer daily, they know the dateviators are in your town. It's only a matter of time before they track you down. You owe it to the even…temporary bonds you’d forged with the Things in your house to allow as MANY of them to become human as possible before you lose the ability completely. That includes those that actively hurt you to watch leave.

Taking a deep breath, you quickly grasp the doorknob before the voice can get another word in and open it, striding into the Breaker Box before you can think better of it.

The two men look up at your entrance, surprise melting into fondness as Volt gets up from the bar and quickly makes his way over to you, arms outstretched as always. “Live wire! Eddie and I were just talking about how dull it’s been around here without your shining face to raise the monotony of slow days.” He says even as he takes your hands and leans in, gently kissing your cheek.

“You’ve been running all over the house the last few weeks, was starting to think you were taking the exact wrong lesson from my little debacle.” Eddie says with a smirk, still leaning against the bar, “Though Volt’s right that it has been awful boring around here without you.”

Don’t- the voice starts but you cut it off before it can convince you that you’re making a mistake, “I’m sorry you two, I shouldn’t have stayed away for as long as I did. I…I can Realize the both of you, I have what it takes.”

The very air in the bar seems to still as they stare down at you, looking completely shocked, pun not intended, “Really, Live wire? You could make us human? Are you sure?” Volt asks, voice soft with a hope you’d not ever heard before, and your stomach twists again with the twin facts that you’d kept this from them, and that even now your heart was mutinously squirming in your chest, telling you to take it back, to not break it again like you had before.

You take half a moment to steel yourself even as you lean into Volt’s hand as he places it against your cheek, nodding, clearing your throat before speaking, “M…Mhm! Wh…Whenever the both of you are ready, I can do it.”

Another small, intense silence you'd long ago learned was the two men having a conversation without words and suddenly Eddie is standing beside Volt, expression filled with concern, “Hold on a moment, I know that face. I’ve worn that face. That’s a ‘I’m not telling you everything to keep you from worrying’ face. Come on, Live wire, out with it. You know keeping things from us never works, and I’m living proof that just trying to tough it out doesn’t work. You taught Volt and I that asking for help is the best way to work through a problem, didn’t you?”

“Well, you taught Eddie more than me, but he does have a point. Sweeting, what has you looking this way?” Volt adds, keeping his hand where it was as the other wraps around your waist, drawing you in closer as he looks down at you with a mix of adoration and concern.

You idly think how you're going to miss those literally glowing blue eyes, before you shake your head, “I…It’s nothing, really guys, just…” you bite your lip as your eyes cast down to Volt’s chest, warring with yourself about what's too much to say. What's going to hurt the most, or the least. Closing your eyes tightly, you take a sharp breath, gathering what strength you had to keep yourself from crying, “just…once your human…try not to forget about me?”

Even as the words were out of your mouth, you feel guilty for uttering them, especially considering the almost stricken look on Volt’s face when you glance up at it before returning your gaze to his chest, “Forget you?? Live wire, dearest, what in the world would make you believe that we’d do such a thing? You saved our lives, not to mention our hearts! Beloved, we couldn’t forget you any more than you could forget how to breathe…”

You sniffle a little, the soft tone in Volt’s voice not doing any favors in your war to keep the tears at bay. You bite your lip before responding, hating how small and weak you sound as your voice quavers, “I…I know, but it’s just...starting a life from scratch is really hard and…I just…I’m gonna miss you.”

Eddie snorts, “We figured starting a new life wasn’t exactly a bed of roses, Phoenicia’s been giving us updates whenever one of the Realized folks touches base with you. Don’t look like that, we aren’t the only ones who care about you, and Phoenicia’s just doing her best to look out for you. Hey…” You feel Volt move out of the way and Eddie takes his place in front of you so smoothly it almost feels like magic, the dark haired man gently gripping your chin between his forefinger and thumb and tilting it up, making you look him in the face, “I know it’s scary, and I know there are gonna be bumps and hiccups, but Volt and I aren’t going anywhere, not really. Even if we do end up moving into a place of our own, we’re going to be over so often that it'll feel like we never left. You’re it for us, spark. You accept us in a way that most Things can’t, and I can’t imagine that’s going to change all that much when we’re dealing with humans. Letting us turn into humans just means you never have to worry about needing those glasses to see us whenever you want, and you have two more people ready to stand between you and that asshole of a boss you have.”

He chuckles when your eyes widen a bit at the mention of David Most, since you’d never mentioned the man, not wanting to put more stress on anyone unnecessarily, and he smirks slightly, “I told you, Phoenicia keeps us more or less up to date on the big stuff when it comes to you. Especially when she knows you haven’t been around for a few days. Though Willi also came in once or twice, complaining about…how'd she put it Volt? Ah right, the ‘assinine shortstack’. But it was mostly Phoenicia, Volt worries.”

This gets a snort from Volt, who crosses his arms, “As if you don’t. My hair may be white, but yours threatens to go gray if our spark stays away too long.”

The small exchange is enough to get a little giggle from you, which gets a grin from each of them in return, and Eddie returns his attention to you fully, “Theere’s that smile. But seriously Live wire, I think you underestimate yourself. Both in how much a difference you’ve made for us in particular, but also the House in general. Yes, some people might have fallen out of contact while they set up their own lives, get used to the real world, whatever that’s like, and all that, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about you.”

He gently cards a hand through your hair, pushing it away from your face so he can look at you more fully, “Unless becoming human just automatically makes you an asshole, there’s not a thing in this house who wouldn’t drop everything if it meant coming to your defense or aide. You have done so much for us in the short time you’ve even known we exist. Made us see who we are, helped us move on from toxic patterns and opened us up in ways that some of us haven’t in a long, long time. Hell, you even finally managed to get Florence and Celia together, do you have ANY idea how long those two have been making goo goo eyes at each other?”

“Point is, love,” Volt interjects, laying a hand on Eddie’s shoulder, “you don’t seem to understand just how special you really are. I mean hells, between Airyn, River, Dante and Rongomaiwhenua, you’ve befriended the literal elements. But that’s alright. Eddie and I have already agreed that it’s a more than worthy cause to remind you daily that you are a treasure, perhaps more if you seem to need it, to everyone, most of all the two of us. That doesn’t stop just because we’re no longer stuck in your walls.”

You loved them. You loved them so damn much, it felt hard to breathe sometimes. Leave it to these two to know the exact combination of dry wit, reassurance and reminding you of what the facts really are to put your mind to ease in a way you hadn’t felt since Franklin had first started pressing you to Realize everything. The tension you hadn’t even noticed you were holding in your shoulders drains away as your gaze shifts between the two of them, Eddie removing his hand when he sees that it's no longer needed to get you to hold their gaze. Taking another deep breath, far slower and calmer this time, you nod, a more determined smile on your face, “Okay, let’s get you two Realized then.”

Skylar materialized and, if she looked a little happier, a little more at ease, you elect to ignore it as she grinned widely at the two men,“Okay guys, time to charge you up!”

She gives you a moment to back away from them, Volt leaning in for one last, soft kiss before setting to work. The spectral energy flows through your dateviators, there’s a flash of light, and a crackle of electricity that makes your skin tingle. And then…Eddie and Volt stand before you, the two of them managing to look familiar and brand new all at once. You are somewhat relieved to find the three of you in the hallway, it would have been rather cramped if they’d materialized *inside* the hall closet.

Humanity has revitalized Eddie, granting him a glow and a spark that Volt himself could only dream of. Volt, on the other hand, seems grounded by his new body-he’s just as charismatic as ever, but there’s a vulnerability in the depths of his gaze that reminds you of Eddie. They feel perfectly balanced, each completely in himself even as he compliments the other.

Volt looks down at his brand new body, taking himself in for a few moments before commenting somewhat breathlessly, “My, my, now isn’t this something? So many new sensations, it’s all rather…”

“Electrifying?” Eddie supplies, unable to hide the wide grin on his own face while he flexed his hands.

“Was that a joke?” You ask with mild surprise and a great deal of delight, only grinning wider when the question gets Eddie to frown for a moment.

“Don’t. I already hate myself for even saying it.” He says, trying to maintain his regular expression before quickly losing, unable to keep from allowing the joy of humanhood to effuse his expression again.

“Oh yes, you can clearly tell by the way you’re smiling.” Volt snarks back, smirk firmly planted on his lips, as he shares a look with you, rolling his eyes over dramatically.

The comment gets a momentary pout from Eddie, and he crosses his arms, “Realization must have scrambled my circuits or…whatever it is humans have in place of circuits. Shut up.”

Volt doesn’t give him a moment’s rest, though his gaze is firmly on you, a brilliant grin on his own face, “Look at him, practically vibrating with excitement. You’ve given us such a gift, live wire. Thank you.” He finishes, taking your hands back into his, and you’re struck by how…subtly different it is, to feel real, human skin pressing gently against yours as you look up at him.

“Vibrating with excitement, huh?” Your chest feels full and you can’t help but join in the teasing, tearing your gaze away from Volt for the moment to giggle in Eddie’s direction.

Eddie tries to push back for a moment before giving in, stuffing his hands into his pockets, sighing and nodding in agreement, “I…you know what? Yeah, kinda. I wasn’t really sure how this would go. How it would feel to be…”

“I believe the word you’re looking for dear Eddie is ‘free.’” Volt almost breathes out, as if he were savoring the word as well, only smiling wider as Eddie laughs in agreement.

“Haha is that what this is?”

Your eyes are soft as you look between the two, feeling something settle inside of you at seeing both of them still so inimitably themselves, “It’s cute when you guys finish each others’ sentences”

This gets a smirk from Volt, who pulls you just that little bit closer, now stormy grey eyes filled with a promise that makes you shiver, “Oh, is that so? I think you’ll find our connection has many other benefits as well, live wire.”

Eddie clears his throat, making you break eye contact with Volt to see that he's wearing the exact same smirk, though somehow it seems even more dangerous on his lips than on Volt’s, he makes his way slowly, languidly over to where the two of you stand, eyes never leaving yours, “You know, when Volt and I were running the club, I kinda left all the uh ‘fun’ stuff to him. All I did was work. I think…I’d like to change that.”

“By all means, you know I’m always more than happy to share.” Volt almost purrs, the heat in his eyes no less dampened when he looks at Eddie than when he looks at you.

”What did you have in mind?” You can’t help the slight teasing that fills your voice, it was that or letting out a whimper, and you aren’t ready for that…yet.

“Oh, I have a few ideas.” Eddie leans down to softly growl in your ear even as Volt’s arm wraps around your waist when you feel yourself go slightly weak in the knees.
“I certainly have some suggestions”

Eddie chuckles, sharing a look with Volt that you can only half-translate, though it’s exhilarating to know that most others wouldn’t be able to do even that much, before looking down at you, still smirking, “But we’ll need your help, you up for it?”

You can’t help but play just a little dumb, your mind more than half-scrambled by having both of these mens’ attention fixed on you, and the last thing you want is to be reading a situation wrong, “We’re talking sexy stuff, right?”

“Oh yeah, full wattage sexy stuff.” It was punny enough that it almost makes you laugh, but another look into his eyes promises ‘full wattage’ is a phrase that will be burned into your mind by the end of the night.

“How adventurous!” Volt chuckles darkly even as the two of them already have begun to guide you back towards your bedroom. You're intensely glad that it had been the first room you’d completely cleared out of other Dateables, this is something you didn’t want to share with anyone else, no matter how interested they might have been.
“Then abso-freaking-lutely.”

As it turns out, Eddie does not require much instruction at all. The new balance between himself and Volt makes him considerate and daring, while still maintaining his wry charm. Volt is eager to please as ever, is able to enjoy handing over control, now that he’s confident that Eddie no longer needs him running the show solo. They take you to new heights together, as perfectly in sync with your needs as they are with one another.

Chapter Text

In the coming days, even though your anxiety about them moving on never really leaves you, the two of them seem supremely uninterested in getting on with their own lives. Eddie finds the kitchen fascinating and quickly learns to be quite the chef while Volt spends his time either absolutely spoiling you or doing things that you rather not, which is honestly still spoiling you, so he's happy enough to do them. While you're apprehensive about him leaving the house, you eventually have to admit that getting your groceries delivered is getting rather expensive, and he is more than charming enough to talk himself out of any sticky situations he finds himself in. 

Eddie in particular seems slightly miffed that he can’t call out the other Dateables anymore when their objects aren’t cooperating with him, but he's always the first to help a newly Realized one get their feet under them. As it begins to sink in that Eddie and Volt aren’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon, you find the thought of Realizing your other favorites less and less panic-inducing. You aren’t going to be left completely alone again, and hearing Volt upstairs in the gym or Eddie puttering around in the laundry room eases something in you when you have the glasses off. Slowly, safely, the house begins to empty as you let others go fulfill their potential. Dante gives you a gentle kiss to the cheek and Mateo wraps you in the warmest hug, though both of them decide to not push things any further with your boys standing right there, Volt raising a slender eyebrow that almost seems like a dare. 

Not that the boys’ days are completely taken up by you. You find Eddie browsing on Mac…though is it still Mac after you’d Realized them? Looking at various things that it look like he and Volt might enjoy. It's a harder ask than what one might initially expect. Physical labor didn’t engage Volt’s mind and leaves him bored and listless, while more sociable work like bartending makes Eddie irritable and on edge. Still, at the end of the day, they both come home to you, regardless of what the world threw at them. There wasn’t even a question that whatever they find, they both have to enjoy it. It's equally understood that they would eventually find it.

It's actually you who ends up suggesting what they find to be the first step to their true calling. Eddie had gone out grocery shopping with Volt one day, and had come back talking about an old abandoned diner that had been for sale for…you had to assume years now, you didn’t really remember. Watching as he spoke about what a shame it was to let such an opportunity just sit there because no one wanted to put in the elbow grease to get the place up and running, you see a light in his eyes that's usually reserved for when you catch him talking to another one of the Realized Dateables about something you or Volt had done that he found adorable. Seeing him speaking so animatedly about the place made you grin as you suggest that if he likes the place so much, HE should buy it. Well, THEY should. You're still living off of the same inheritance that had given you this house, so outside of food for themselves, they've been able to save all of the money that they’d earned thusfar, and have a tidy nestegg. 

Eddie starts a bit, shocked out of his speech to look at you, before looking to Volt, who's watching the both of you with nothing short of pure adoration as he often does when you spoke together, “I…I don’t know, that feels like a big investment…I mean, sure it’d be nice to be working with my hands again, and there’s enough to do there that Volt shouldn’t get bored, but…you really think we should? Could we?”

Volt smiles, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, “Honestly, I say we go for it! It’s not like we don’t have a safety net if it doesn’t work, and it’s just so endearing to see you looking actually excited about something beyond myself and our little live wire. Besides, it sounds like the perfect solution to our prickly problem. You get to work with your hands, I get to do something I enjoy when it comes to getting the materials and engaging with others, and it’s close enough that we can come home at the end of the day to be doted upon by and to dote upon our beloved. Then, once this whole kerfuffle with…that man” Volt’s lip curls slightly at the mention of Most, like it always does whenever he came up, “and Valdivian is sorted, they can come and help! I remember how much you enjoyed each other’s company while you were helping keep the Breaker Box up and running.”

You can’t help but smile, a light feeling burning merrily in your chest every time one of them refers to this place as ‘home’. It's like a silent promise. This is their home. YOU are their home. No matter what life might throw at them, they know this is the place where they belong, by your side. You sit back and watch as the two start talking at length about everything they’d need if they start this venture, once again utterly blown away that this is your life. That you're sitting here, watching two incredibly attractive men talking about how best to start a project that has being close to you as one of its core advantages. You don’t know what in some past life you had done to deserve this, but you thank whoever was responsible for it, every day when you wake up and every night as you pass out, as often as not surrounded on all sides by these men, boxed in by their warmth and love. 

It's several more weeks before the property is sold, but you didn’t miss the extra spring in Eddie’s step as he starts putting together a list of tools he needs. Tony…again, was it still Tony if Tony had gone off to fulfill his own life months ago?, you still had to sit and figure that out, but regardless while you have a few tools, they're nowhere near the amount needed for the project ahead. Volt, too, seems invigorated as he speaks with the current deed holders, ever the debonair charmer and enjoying every moment of it. 

As they're busy with that, you slowly but surely finish the last few stragglers that still need to be Realized. Friar Errol was the last, outside of Skylar, not the least of which because you had gotten off on the completely wrong foot with him at first, his proselytizing and only thinly-disguised disgust both with you and with those you held dear rubbing you the wrong way from the first time you’d spoken with him. Still, while the thought of just dumping him or leaving him Unrealized has occurred to you on more than one occasion, Volt and Eddie had convinced you that everyone, everyone, deserves a chance to be human, Eddie pointing out that maybe turning the old blowhard human would make him realize how narrow-minded he was being. Regardless, there is no real love lost between the two of you as he quickly sweeps out of the house. 

With that, Skylar is the only one left, and between the four of you, with you working as a bridge between the boys and Skylar, you agree to wait until the morning to Realize her, to make a real celebration of the completion. A few vague texts to other friends in the wider world and you get more than a dozen replies that your guests would be there, ready to celebrate the Realization of the glasses that had given them a chance at life.

Your plans in place, you pocket your phone and smile at Eddie, who's thanking “whoever was listening up there” that the air fryer now turns on and works without him having to mutter something about oil being sinful. You start just a little when a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist loosely from behind, deep voice rumbling through your back even as a warm breath caresses your ear, “So, after tomorrow we’ll finally have you completely to ourselves. How are you feeling, live wire?”

You take a deep breath, leaning back into the warmth and safety that embrace promise, “Honestly…I’m not sure. On one hand, it’ll be a relief that I don’t have to worry every day that I’m going too slowly and a Valdivian data drone is going to crash through a window and steal the dateviators off of my face, but on the other…I’m gonna kinda miss this. It was nice to feel…special for a while. Not that I don’t know you and Eddie think I’m special,” You quickly add as you feel the taller man tighten his arms slightly around you, 

“But it’s…different. While I love being so important to the two of you, this has felt like…a video game come to life almost. Something no one else knows about that only I can do, ya know? Once Skylar is Realized, the credits roll and I don’t have…” you let your expression scrunch a bit, “I don’t have any more excuses for staying secreted away in my house. I have to start learning how to be…out there, like so many of you guys have done.”

Volt chuckles, “That’s true enough, and thank you for clarifying so quickly. I was about to begin whispering all the things I find irresistible about you into your ear. While I can imagine you’ll stumble and fall more than once while you’re finding your way, you’ll undoubtedly do it with the grace and kindness that drew us to you in the first place live wire.” You can almost feel his mood sour slightly, “I almost hope that pompous ass shows up, it’d be incredibly cathartic to be able to give that man a taste of the fear he’s been instilling in his employees. I might not be able to unleash electricity like I used to, but I still have the ability to show a worm like that his place I’d like to think.”

Eddie rolls his eyes from where he was standing at the stove, “You know that’d just stress them out more, don’t even think about it Volt. While yeah, I’d love to punch the guy in the face for threatening our live wire, we gotta remember that we’re human now, and shit like that’s likely to get one or both of us arrested. Then who’s going to keep our little spark company? Not to mention, knowing them, they’d end up blaming themselves for us not being able to control ourselves.”

You blush slightly, but don’t deny it, because you know it’s true. The mere thought of either of these men getting arrested gives you a small panic attack and you press a little more firmly into Volt’s chest as a silent agreement with Eddie’s assertions. You hear a small grumble from behind you before feeling Volt’s shoulders sag, “Alright, alright, you both win. It’s still more than a little satisfying to daydream about. I know he and that other chap have made up, but that doesn’t undo all the damage he did, not only to our little live wire, but to any one who had the misfortune of working under him. I’m also going to suggest you taking apart the dateviators and removing any tech you find after Skylar’s nice and Realized. The less ability anyone has to claim that you had stolen property, the easier I’m going to be able to sleep at night.”

Eddie nods slightly, “I’d second that part whole-heartedly. It might feel a little weird, and I’m not sure what the guy who made ‘em is gonna feel about you messing around with ‘em, but honestly after all the shit you’ve been through, you have the right to do whatever you can to keep yourself safe. If he has a problem with it, tough luck. You lost any responsibility towards him and his feelings on the matter when he put the US government on your tail.” He lifts his spatula to point it at you, slightly narrowed eyes boring into you like he could read your mind, “And don’t you try to say he didn’t know that’d happen. The man stole those in the first place because he heard they were going to be used for military purposes. I’m not saying that he didn’t do the right thing, but forcing all that on YOU without even asking means he loses the right to bitch with what you do with them after they’ve served their purpose and Skylar’s safe.”

You’d been opening your mouth to say almost exactly that, and you don’t know if you should be touched that Eddie knows you that well or annoyed that he refuted your argument before you even get to make it. You settle on the former and close your mouth, which both boys take as you agreeing with them, and Eddie turns back to making dinner as Volt gently kisses your neck. “So! Speaking of our beauteous liberator, tomorrow needs to be a smash, so we should think about what to put out as part of the spread. I’m certain more would attend if they were able, but perhaps after the diner is up and running we can have a proper celebration and reunion. Beverly will of course require there to be drinks, and Stefan would likely grill us alive if we didn’t have hot food ready and waiting. Thankfully, Freddy has already said he plans on showing up just before dawn, to keep from drawing too much attention, and he can likely help with the grocery list, if nothing else. Perhaps we can request one or two of them stop by somewhere to pick things up to cut down on prep time?”

You nod, smiling at the thought of all the familiar faces you’d get to see tomorrow, “Dunk is definitely showing up, so I’ll ask him to bring plates and silverware. Abel can bring some of his veggies, and Fantina should be able to handle fizzy drinks at least. I’m not completely sure if Penelope will actually show up or not, but if we ask her to bring napkins and cups it should be fine. Dasha’s been getting into baking lately, so maybe she could bring dessert? Or make it after she gets here?” You mentally tick off everyone who had assured you they’d try their level best to be there. “Tell Stefan if he wants hot food that he has to bring the meat and I’ll ask Dante to bring a couple bags of chips or something snack-y in case more people end up being able to show up. Put Bev on alcohol duty and I think we should be good.” 

You cast your mind over everything you’d already said, trying to think of holes only to be distracted as Volt presses another kiss to your neck, “Relax live wire, tomorrow is a celebration. Not only of Skylar’s Realization but also of all your hard work. No one’s going to want to see that you’ve stressed yourself out over what’s at least half a party to celebrate you, silly goose. I will take care of making sure everyone has their marching orders, don’t you worry. The only thing I want you focused on is being your adorable self and getting to reconnect with everyone. Tomorrow, for at least a little while, the house will be full once more, and we’ll get to see you in fine form, putting even me to shame with your ability to make everyone feel welcome and loved. Anything beyond that will take care of itself.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Eddie agrees, walking over with a full plate of food and offering it to you, “Just relax for now and let us do our thing. Tonight, we eat and relax. Tomorrow we celebrate and then after that…well we don’t have to know that yet. Figuring it out together is part of what’s fun about being human.”

You smile exasperatedly even as you take the plate, moving out of Volt’s arms towards the dining room table. They’re right, as usual. You somewhat disagree that the celebration was nearly as much about you as it is about Skylar, but you know that saying that out loud would only get you lovingly ganged up on by the other two. So for now, you’ll just enjoy the good food and relaxing atmosphere, knowing that regardless of what the future holds, you aren’t going to be alone

Chapter Text

The next day starts early, Freddy showing up as promised before dawn, and you are there at the door waiting to shepherd him in before anyone sees him. Once the door is shut, you turn to grin at the yeti towering over you, who returns the grin with a far toothier one and scooping you up in his arms, laughing loudly, “Cool kid! It’s been way too long! Gosh I’ve missed you! Y’don’t get near good enough service up in the mountains, and every phone and keyboard I’ve looked at are way too tiny for my big hands even if you did! It’s so GOOD to see you again, cool kid!”

You laugh as he deposits you back on the floor, buoyed by the sheer excitement radiating off of the big guy, unable to keep the smile off of your face even as Freddy easily explains why he hasn’t been in contact. Even with just this one extra person in the house, it already feels more lively and like those whirlwind days when you had a hundred or so relationships to manage inside the same house. “It’s good to see you too Freddy, you look so good! Did you have any problems getting in?”

He waves off the question even as you both move through the hallways towards the kitchen, “Ah, it was nothin’. Had maybe one touch and go when a tourist gave me a double take, but I managed to slip ‘em by goin’ around a corner real quick. More than worth being here for this! I can’t believe you did it cool kid, all hundred of us…wait…wouldn’t it be more like…a hundred ‘n…like…ten if you count all the Hanks an’ Curt an’ Rod and all them as separate? Still! That’s waaaaay cool! How ya feelin’? Oh! And where’re those two scamps that’ve been keepin’ you company this whole time, not hiding I hope?”

You shake your head, getting one of your larger, sturdier cups and making a coffee for the man…yeti, “Volt is NOT a morning person and Eddie decided that with as many people as there are likely to be here today, he should get as much rest as possible so his social battery is all topped up. They’ll be up in a bit, they’re almost as excited about today as I am.”

He takes the proffered drink, cup looking so much smaller the moment it’s in his hands, and gingerly blows across the top, taking a sip before replying, in a softer voice this time, “Whoops, hope I didn’t wake ‘em up. Guess I’m used to bein’ outdoors where volume doesn’t really matter all that much. Still…you look good. Glad to see they’re obviously takin’ GOOD care of you. You were always cool, obviously, but before you seemed…I dunno…sad a lot of the time? Like not a big loud sad, but just…like the happy never made it completely all the way to the back of your eyeballs, if that makes sense. Now you grin from the tips of your hair all the way down to the balls of your feet, and it looks REAL good on you.”

You are touched as you make a cup for yourself, and your smile has a touch more melancholy in it as you consider his words, “I guess…yeah. I’ve been kind of…dealing with stuff by not dealing with it for a long time. Not just the whole dateviators thing, it’s from before that, though the stress certainly didn’t help. Volt and Eddie…they give me a kind of safety net that I haven’t had in a long, long time. Makes it easier to sort through stuff in my head when I know that if I need to stop for the time being, I’ve got someone to help me put the voices to rest, so to speak. I mean, you all help, obviously, while you guys were here it helped me really learn about myself and stretch myself in ways I’d been kind of terrified to try in the outside world, but knowing that they’re HERE helps more than I think either of them realizes. Knowing that even if they’re out at the diner, they’re just a phone call or a text away really feels…grounding.”

Speaking of, as Freddy finishes his drink and delicately as possible washes out his mug, you take out your phone to check what messages you’d gotten overnight. Some are unsurprising, Mateo, Gaia and Cabbrizzio all sent their best wishes, but are far flung enough already that coming that quickly was more than a little impossible. Barry also sent his best, but was quickly derailed into talking about moisturizer before realizing what hour it was for you and apologizing for blowing up your phone, though you never mind, really. Curt and Rod promise to try and make an appearance, but they're unsure if they’ll manage to make it in time, while Winnifred was waist deep in starting up her business, so that was a non-starter for her. Several other people say they’ll make the attempt, but no further definite yes’s to showing up. Mac, for their part, offers to set up a live-stream for the people who are unable to physically be there, and you pass that offer on to the others before locking your screen again, looking back to Freddy.

The yeti places the mug to the side to let it dry, not trusting himself with a towel before grinning down at you, “So, your dudes say that I’m in charge of keeping you entertained while they sleep and getting a grocery list together for one of ‘em to fill out once they get their lazy butts out of bed. What’re you thinkin’?”

Several hours pass before Eddie eventually trundles downstairs, yawning widely and grunting a greeting to Freddy, who wisely lets the man go to get a cup of coffee before trying to greet him more enthusiastically. In that time, you and Freddy had made a solid list, with you explaining who was bringing what that Freddy didn’t have to worry about planning for. You’d managed the actual writing of the list, since it's pretty clear that if his hands can’t fit on a keyboard, holding a pen or pencil is out of the question.You leave the two talking, Eddie grunting with an annoyed expression on his face when you hear a knock on the door and quickly make your way out to greet whoever's waiting. You’re somewhat surprised by who you find, “Florence! Celia! I’d assumed the both of you were busy with campaign planning. It’s so good to see both of you!”

The couple breezes in, Florence giving you a warm hug before Celia gracefully gives you a peck on the cheek, “Yes, well when the two of us saw who all was coming, we decided that you might need a bit more help keeping the crowd from getting too…spirited, let’s say.”

Florence giggles, “Plus it gave us an excuse to take a day off. Not that we both don’t love what we’re doing, but it’s nice to have a reason to put work aside for a day, ya know?”

You take a deep breath, relaxing a bit as you nod, “Honestly, it would be really helpful, if you don’t mind. Eddie and Volt tell me they’ve got everything in hand, but…well, I can’t help but worry. There’re gonna be a loooot of people here and while I know they’re used to rowdy crowds in the Breaker Box…it’s a little different in a house.” You say, chuckling softly.

Celia nods, patting your shoulder, “Just so. Don’t worry, we have no plans to oversail you or your paramour’s plans, just help realize them, so to speak.” The small smile that tugs at the corner of her lip tells you that pun was intentional. The three of you head into the living room, where Freddy and Eddie greet both of them, and you can’t help but see the little bit of tension that lifted from Eddie’s shoulders when the couple affirms they’re here to help keep all the gears moving smoothly. 

Dunk, Fantina and Wyndolyn all show up before Volt finally makes an appearance, looking perfect he always does, and Eddie is more than happy to send the four of them out of the house to fulfill Freddy and your’s list, stating that that much energy in the house is going to drain him worse than a faulty wire if he has to deal with it for too long, which just got a laugh before the adventurers breeze out, already talking amongst themselves about something or other, or several somethings or others, as they even leave. 

Abel and Dasha make their appearances next, and though they didn’t show up together exactly, it was close enough that it got some light ribbing from Freddy. You get a hug from each of them, though you have to wait for both of them to set down their frankly incredibly large totes before you can properly greet them. Abel’s is filled with a little bit of every vegetable he’s been growing since he was Realized, with the caveat that he obviously doesn’t expect that they’ll ALL be used before the end of the day, and you’re welcome to keep what you want. Dasha…Dasha brings enough ingredients that for a moment you worry that she thought EVERYone was coming back, but when you politely field the question, she just laughs and smacks you on the back hard enough that Eddie has to catch you from falling completely over.

“No, my friend! I don’t plan to use all of ingredients here, but, how you say, I was unsure what inspiration would hit me and wanted to be sure I had everything at hand! This is big day! We have to be ready for whatever comes, yes?”

Celia looks over what was brought and hums, placing a manicured nail against her chin, “I suppose you have a point Dasha, but I’d ask that you make sure to keep anything you aren’t presently using in the tote. There will be quite a few people in and around the kitchen today and we have to make use of the space as best we can.”

This gets a grin and, after asking you, Dasha places the tote just inside the laundry room so that it’s not underfoot, an idea that Abel quickly copies.

Several more texts and messages come in, and you’re more than grateful that Eddie, Celia and Florence have things well in hand when the adventuring party returns as you take the time to visit with your friends. Lyric wishes he could come, but he’s required for a meeting between officials from four different countries, and Chairemi replies that she was busy rehearsing, though she’s a bit vague on WHAT, exactly. Keys and Rainey reply, admitting they both have former engagements that mean they won’t be able to make it. Artt and Lady Memoria both send their best, while Holly and Chance promise to try and stop by if work permits. Rebel, Dishy, Parker, and Sofia are all people you aren’t at all surprised that you haven’t heard a peep from for various reasons, along with Friar Errol.

Airyn shows up with Zoey in tow, explaining that the poor girl didn’t even have a cell phone yet, still getting used to the modern era as she was, but Airyn had come across her on the way here and happily dragged her along.

Dante slides in just behind Stefan and Beverly, offering his own brand of help to keep the vibe chill and everything running smooth, which you happily agree to. The house is loud and lively once more as everyone talks about what they’ve been up to, how things have been going for them and what they can do to help get things ready. Once or twice, Eddie winds his way to you and pulls you upstairs, shutting the bedroom door and silently just holding you, using you to help recharge his battery a little bit. During one of these small escapes, Volt finds you, and, after quietly opening the door to make sure everything’s alright, gives you a wink before shutting the door again, heading back downstairs to keep the guests entertained while his two most beloved people take a moment.

It’s never for very long, ten or fifteen minutes, but you can tell that even just that long helps Eddie get his feet back under him, and you can’t deny you enjoy the knowledge that your presence helps. After a short break, usually without even speaking, both of you head back downstairs to pick up where you left off, and no one so much as mentions your sudden disappearance.

Finally, around four in the afternoon, you stand on a chair with Freddy’s help and clap your hands. You’d thought about clinking a glass, but just the thought on the absent Daisuke’s face at the affront has you deciding against it. The sound of your clap is enough to get everyone’s attention, and you grin around at the faces staring up at you. Friends who have, as Volt had once said, dropped everything because you asked them to. You give yourself a moment to cement the image in your mind, and the knowledge that there are so many others who have touched base and would have come with more warning, before you speak, “Alright, I think this is almost everyone that’s going to get here. If we get a few more stragglers, it’s not like we’re stopping anytime soon, right?” This gets a cheer and you can’t help but laugh before putting up your hands for quiet again, “That being said, we ARE missing one very, VERY special guest, and it’s about time we welcomed her to her own party, wouldn’t you say?”

This gets another cheer as you pull the dateviators out of your pocket. You’d kept them up by your bed most of the day and only had retrieved them during Eddie’s last charging session. Everyone backs up enough so that Skylar has a place to materialize and she does so, even if for the moment it's just for you, her eyes wildly swinging around to look at everyone, a bright, shocked grin on her face. “Woah! I can’t believe so many showed up! You sly little bean, keeping me hidden away all this time so I didn’t get to see how many people were here, this is INCREDIBLE!”

You grin and giggle a bit, taking a deep breath, “It’s about to get more incredible Skylar. If it weren’t for you, NO one in this house would be here right now. You changed our lives, and I say it’s high time you got to live your own. You ready? You KNOW I’ve got the goods!”

She turns to look at you, eyes shining even as she smiles widely, “Yes! I was born ready for this! Let’s get Realizing!” She almost squeals and you can’t help but mirror her smile back to her. 

Taking a deep breath, you concentrate and feel the same energy that you’d felt a hundred times before begin to swirl, though this time you had the rather odd feeling of the energy swirling very close to your face indeed and then, suddenly in a pop of light, there stands Skylar, much to the delight of the crowd, who cheers loudly, rushing in and hugging her close. Freddy helps you down from your perch carefully and you couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of you. You may have been a requirement as a human to Realize everyone, but in your mind Skylar was the one who deserved all the credit. Without the woman now somewhere between laughing and crying in the middle of an almost suffocating amount of love, none of this would have happened. 

You see Volt almost melt out of the crowd and grin brightly as he makes his way over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist as naturally as if that was where they always belonged, while the throng slowly made their way back to the living room where there was a bit more space. “Don’t you think you’re going to creep away now that the other guest of honor has shown up, live wire. You deserve this as much as anyone else here, and I mean to see that you enjoy yourself thoroughly.”

You hum, resting your head on his shoulder, letting yourself draw some energy from him much like Eddie does from you, “I won’t run, promise. I’m just letting her take the spotlight for a while. She more than deserves it. Besides, being in front of that many people for hours and hours can be kind of exhausting, I don’t know how you do it.”

Volt chuckles, kissing your forehead. “Alright, I suppose that makes sense, though in my eyes you’ll always be the real star.”

You roll your eyes even as Eddie wanders in, eyes on the stove as he finishes cooking the last few things that Steffan had brought with him, an eyebrow raising at the two of you with just the smallest smirk, “You okay live wire?”

You nod, “Just taking a moment, I’m fine. I can’t wait to eat, everything smells deli…” You cut yourself off as something begins to make a racket outside. All three of you look up towards the ceiling and you can see a little bit into the living room that you aren’t the only ones.

“What in Sam Hill…?” Eddie mutters, even as he follows you and Volt out to the front door.

Wyndolyn is first to the front window and calls out even as you reach for the doorknob, “Who in the world do we know who already has a freaking helicopter ??”

Chapter Text

Wyndolyn’s question stops you for half a moment, hand hovering over the doorknob. You consider possible answers, and only two came to mind. One, is Willi, but she isn’t the type to drop by without RSVPing first, regardless of how many times you told her she is free to stop by whenever she wants. So that only left one other option. It seems like everyone came to the same conclusion in that half of a second, because in the time it takes you to grab hold of the handle, Eddie and Volt’s strong hands are on each of your shoulders and everyone else is rushing towards the door. That many people couldn’t fit into the foyer, and that’s about the only thing that kept you from being rushed away from the door.

Taking a deep breath, you look over your shoulder and find a mix of expressions looking back at you, some a little frightened, some downright angry, but all of them showing some level of concern in their eyes. None moreso than your boys. Volt’s brow creases with worry and Eddie’s lips are pursed in half-formed words before he sighs and drops his shoulders a bit, “Okay Live wire, how do you want to handle this? Say the word and we’ll deal with this, but in the end, this is your fight. You decide the marching orders.”

Volt almost looks like he wants to argue with that, but one look between the two of you and he acquiesces, nodding in agreement. You bite your lip, trying to think as clearly as you can in the very, very short amount of time you have available to you. You shake your head, “No, I’ve spent enough of my life running and hiding myself away. I can handle this. Skylar’s safe, and so are all of you, I can handle whatever he has to throw at me.”

You give a smile that you hope looks braver than you feel in the moment before starting to turn the handle, stopping just before you swing the door open, blushing a bit, “But…just…stay close, okay?”

Volt seems to relax at that implicit permission to stay at your side, “Darling, wild dogs couldn’t drive us off, have no fear.” before he looks forward, eyes narrowing as he sees the owner of the aircraft hopping down out of it through the window in the front door. 

Reassured, you take a deep breath before opening the door, feeling the weight and support of everyone else piled behind you as you take a step out onto your front porch, now useless dateviators still perched on your nose as you cross your arms, waiting for the couple now making their way up your sidewalk to come to a stop. 

A small part of you wonders what kind of figure you cut, standing there with your arms crossed, Eddie and Volt standing straight behind you on either side, neither having removed his hand from your shoulder. Several of your guests also crowd behind the three of you, and you can tell by the way Franklin winces that some of them are glaring daggers. 

David Most and Franklin Lieste were about as diametrically opposed looks wise as two men could be. David almost looked like a square given form. Short, wide, with an equally angular haircut, you’re somewhat struck at how much he looks like a Saturday morning cartoon’s version of an ‘evil businessman’. He has the air about him that he is used to people doing what he tells them to do and not questioning it.This is only somewhat undercut by the fact that he was wearing a rather warm looking sweater, and had a somewhat exasperated smile on his face. Franklin, by contrast, is tall and…well you hesitate to use the word ‘willowy’ to describe a man, but he looks rather like a stiff breeze wouldn’t find it difficult to knock him over. Large round glasses not dissimilar from the dateviator’s design perch in front of equally large eyes that dart about, taking in you, the dateviators, the men standing behind you, the large crowd behind THEM, and looking more than a little nervous.

You aren’t overly surprised when David is the one to speak first, “So, you’re the one then. Have to say, you have to be pretty ballsy, coming out here, wearing the stolen tech on your face.”

You shrug, letting yourself raise an eyebrow, “These aren’t tech. They’re a pair of sunglasses.” You know what Franklin had told you had happened, but you also aren’t sure how much you trust it. It’s pretty clear that Franklin was head over heels for David, and love makes you overlook some pretty incredible things. So, for now, you’d keep your words vague. 

The men’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, before their eyes flick over your shoulder and you have to assume that they’d caught a glimpse of Skylar, because both sets of eyes widen. A nervous smile creeps onto Franklin’s face, “You did it…you actually managed to do it! Did you get everyone? I mean I’m assuming you have, since…but really? All of them?”

His smile dims somewhat when you nod without immediately smiling back, eyes still focused on Most, “All of them. There’s nothing here for you Mr. Most. Nothing for the government either. Just a party I decided to throw with my friends and boyfriends.”

Volt and Eddie’s hands tighten just a little on your shoulders as you feel Volt bow slightly, voice charming as ever but somehow almost dripping with something underneath. The silk hiding the steel, as he’s called it before. “Our little live wire has told us so much about the two of you. Charmed, I’m sure, but you interrupted what was a very enjoyable celebration. What business exactly do you have here?”

Franklin takes a deep breath, speaking in the same fast, clipped tone that still somehow managed to ramble that he texted in. “That’s on me, honestly. David’s stepped down as CEO and we’ve cancelled our contract with the US government. It meant eating a heavy fine and we’ll likely never get a contract with them again, but honestly I’m more than happy with that. They did require for me to turn over my blue prints for the dateviators, but I tweaked them so they won’t be able to ever replicate them. I doubt the kinds of people that they have working for them will even notice that the…” He stops himself before clearing his throat, “Regardless, it didn’t seem…right to tell you all of that over a text, and since I knew where you lived, I figured it’d be fine if we just…popped by real quick. To let you know. That you’re going to be okay. But you’ve done it already. You really, actually did it. You Realized everyone, including Skylar. I gotta admit I’m…kind of amazed. When I first sent them…her…to you, I was just desperate and trying to find somewhere that David wouldn’t look. I never imagined…”

His eyes leave you to look at the packed entryway behind you, eyes glancing over to the front window where several more faces could be seen. Taking a deep breath, he seems to settle in himself, a grateful smile curling onto his face, “I just…thank you. Thank you for making what was made in an extremely painful time for me into something this beautiful and wondrous. David and I are going to try to make it work, and, if you want, we’d be thrilled to have you on our team.”

David nods, pulling at his sweater like he’s wearing a jacket and expects lapels to grasp onto, “Yes, after speaking with Franklin, it’s quite clear that letting someone with your abilities slip through our fingers would be a terrible oversight. We’d be honored if you’d agree to join our team as the VP of Human Relations…and a chair on our new ethics board. You are, of course free to decline, but I can assure you that you won’t find a better offer anywhere else.”

You shift your feet, trying to feel yourself through this carefully, “...Thank you for the offer,” you start slowly, “But I’m going to have to take some time to think about it. You were just hunting me down not more than a week ago. I don’t know how comfortable I am, having you as my boss again. And, no offense intended Franklin, but considering you’re the one who dropped this on me in the first place, while it worked out wonderfully, that doesn’t really tell me you’d be a super great boss either. Again, thank you, deeply, for the offer, but it’s not something I can just accept. I need time.”

Franklin’s face falls, but he slowly nods, smiling apologetically, “That’s…honestly more than fair. David and I have made your life anything but easy, and you deserve to have a little time to just relax. No rush on giving us an answer, just…please do give it some thought. While you do, we’ll be giving you backpay for leaving you in ‘labor limbo’ for that long, and express orders to leave you alone until you reach out to us. We’ll…get out of your hair now, it looks like you’ve got quite the shindig going on, and we should let you get back to it…”

There’s a whisper, a half of a thought that tells you to invite them in, but you let it pass as you nod, instead contenting yourself with a smile. They might be trying to make amends, but that didn’t mean you had to forgive them of everything right then and there. “Thank you Franklin. I will think about it, and I hope this means a second chance for the both of you. Don’t blow it, you’ve now got a lot more eyes watching you and…” You let your eyes wander over your shoulder for a moment before looking back at them, “They’re going to make sure you keep toeing the line if you ever need extra incentive to make the most of it.”

It isn’t a punch to the nose, but the momentary look of fear on David’s face at the thought of what some of those standing behind you can and will do if he backslides gave the nasty part of your mind more than a little bit of satisfaction. The two bow slightly in goodbye and make their way back to their helicopter. You don’t let your eyes leave it until the blades are whirring and the entire aircraft has taken off, letting out a shaky breath once it’s clear that they aren’t coming back. You almost turn around to face your boys when a pop of red catches your eye walking quickly up the shared sidewalk, eyes glued on your house. There’s no way…you’d only seen a single picture of her, a candid sent years ago when the two of you were just starting to get to know each other, but that hair color couldn’t belong to anyone else, “Sam?!”

The woman takes in the sight before her, suddenly looking a little nervous before you break away from Volt and Eddie’s hands for the first time to rush to meet her, grinning widely as you give her a tight hug. You’d learned everything you could from Dasha and Freddy about how to give the best hugs you could manage, “What are you doing here? How are you here? What???”

She laughs, returning the hug and grinning back at you, “Well, I saw your house on the news, because of all the helicopters and stuff, and just kinda figured…hey, if completely rando strangers can show up at your place, why not me? Gods, it’s so good to finally see you! And holy shit, I know we’d been joking about you having like, a harem but are you dating all of those people? Where do you find the energy??”

This gets you to roll your eyes even as you pull her up the sidewalk and onto your front porch, “No I’m not dating all of them, you dork. Just these two. Sam, meet Eddie and Volt. Eddie, Volt, meet my best friend in the world, Sam.”

Eddie gives her a slightly awkward wave as Volt takes her hand, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it, “Absolutely honored to meet you at last, our little live wire has spoken glowingly about you. Thank you for being such a constant and reliable friend to them over the years, I hope Eddie and I can impress upon you the same care and deep friendship that you’ve given them.”

Sam, unsurprisingly, blushes hard at this, “Holy shit, um, yeah, sure, I mean, thank you? Uh…holy hell I can tell why you fell for him.” Before blinking, “Wait, both of them? So…are you two like brothers or something?” She looks between the two of them, confusion clouding her eyes as she tries to figure out how this works exactly.

You laugh, “It’s a long, long story. Come on, we’ve got food and it’s gonna get cold if we don’t start eating, and I’ve got a LOT more people that I need to introduce you to.” You say, pulling her past the two men who held your heart and into the house proper, to be greeted by everyone else. 

The party goes late, late into the night, Sam hitting it off with most of your other friends, and a few others making their way into your home as the day wears on. Some because of the same reports Sam saw, some because they were simply late. True to their word, somewhat later in the afternoon, after talking through things on your end, Mac sets up a live stream on the television in the living room and sends a link to those further abroad that had no hope of getting there on such short notice. There’s a rotating cast that comes and goes as they have a bit of time, and Sam is more than pleased to meet everyone she can get her hands on, though she forms fast friendships with Dante and Wyndolyn, and when Farya’s on break she manages to stop by on the livestream for a few minutes, where she and Sam seem to instantly click, and Sam quickly squiggles down Farya’s socials before the doctor has to head back out onto the floor. However, it’s clear that the thing that gets her the most excited is when Hime calls in from where she’s practicing abroad, and Sam practically vibrates with excitement. Before Hime leaves to get food, Sam’s already extracted a promise to get together to talk tennis and tickets for Hime’s next game.

However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and as it gets progressively later, more people start leaving than coming, each making a point to give you a hug and a promise to keep in touch as best they can, until only a handful are left. You see Celia and Florence off and then it’s just you, Sam, and Skylar. Volt had excused himself to the kitchen while you said goodbye to the couple to give you some time alone with the girls, and Eddie heads upstairs, saying after today he needed a long, long soak in the tub.

As you come back into the living room, the two of them are laughing together about some story or other Sam was relating about you, and they look at you fondly when you come over. “Speaking of, hey there! What a day, huh?? Even after just a day of this I cannot understand how you didn’t go crazy getting a hundred of these guys to behave enough that they didn’t tear the place apart.”

You shrug, “It was…a little different when they were still…um…Things. Skylar could only really show me one at a time, or several only if…how did you explain it to me again Sky? If their…vibrational frequencies were close enough together? So it wasn’t really like today where you could see all of them all the time interacting in the same meat space. Though if you think THIS was wild, you haven’t seen anything yet, next time I’ll introduce you to the Hanks and you’ll REALLY see some wild stuff.”

Skylar giggles, “They’re a lot of fun, but yeah, they put the word ‘adrenaline’ in the phrase ‘adrenaline junkies’. Not to mention some of the more…forceful personalities who didn’t manage to make an appearance.”

Sam beams, “Well I can’t wait, I’m still walking on cloud nine that I got to talk to Hero Hime. THE Hero Hime! Gosh, she was everything I thought she’d be and more.” She sighs happily before seeming to shake herself a bit, “But anyways, unfortunately I think I need to get going. Honestly, I probably should have left several hours ago, classes start early, but every time I thought about it, something else that seemed like fun would get started and I’d forgot about the time again.”

She places the glass she’d been nursing most of the night down on the coffee table and pulls you into a tight hug, “Oh we have to do this again. Maybe not with this many people, but now that I know where you live I am definitely checking up on you whenever I have a free day.” Before she shares a conspiratorial wink with you, “Don’t worry, I’ll give you plenty of warning so you can make sure that you and your boyfriends are decent.”

She hides a yawn behind her hand as you walk her to the front door, both of your minds still more than a little hopped up on the dopamine from the day. As she opens the door, she stops before stepping out, “Ya’ know…what you did here…it was really special. It’s GOING to be really special. You gave the world like, over a hundred new people who are all so, SO cool and they’re working hard to make the most of the gift they never thought they’d get. Might just be the end of the night getting to me, but it really makes you stop and think. All the people I met today, they were all so…in love with life. In love with being human, and treated it like it was a gift. Some have been around for literally thousands of years, and yet they decided…being human was worth more than thousands of more years of life as they were. Thinking about it that way, we regular ass people really need to step up and take a page from their book. I’m gonna hunker down and become the best possible nurse I can be, because I know that’s gonna help a lot of people and it’s gonna make me happy. I know you told me about that offer those two gave you…but I’d really recommend you sitting down and thinking about what it is that’s going to make you happy, that’s going to help the most people. I’m not gonna try to sway you one way or the other, just like you gave me space to decide whether I wanted to be a nurse or not but…we got a gift too. We owe it to ourselves not to waste it.”

With another tight hug and a wave, you watch her leave, watching until she’s out of sight before closing the door with a sigh, turning, and looking at Skylar. The Dateable, the woman, who had started it all. She returns your gaze and you have a silent conversation, recognizing in each other how much you both have changed since Franklin had made that fateful decision. Volt hums in the kitchen and you both steal a glance his way before looking back at each other and dissolving into laughter. You come over, putting a hand on her shoulder, “You’re more than free to spend the night, of course. I’m not about to kick you out when you literally haven’t had a chance to do more than party all day.”

Skylar nods, “Thanks, I was low-key wondering what I’d be doing tonight after everything wound down. So, how are you feeling now that everything’s over?”

You raise an eyebrow, “I should be asking you that I think. You’re the one who made everything happen, I was just along for the ride.” You say, waving off your own involvement since Volt and Eddie weren’t around to refute it.

Skylar gives you an exasperated but fond look over the top of her matching shades, “You were certainly more than just ‘along for the ride’ my friend. Franklin could have given me to a thousand different people who wouldn’t have handled the craziness nearly as well as you did. You not only accepted a crazy amount of responsibility that no one asked if you wanted, not only spoke to and helped literally dozens and dozens of things through their own problems, but when Franklin figured out that I was changing enough to Realize them, you didn’t even hesitate, working on yourself enough so that you could give other people gifts they didn’t even think were possible.”

She leans in to hold your hands gently, making you look at her, “I wouldn’t have gotten that ability if I hadn’t been in your hands. I was with Franklin for years and never even realized that was something I could do. It’s because you believed in me. You took everything I said and believed it, even when most people would have rolled their eyes or demanded further explanations. When you did ask for explanations, I slowly learned that I could do my best to tell you, and you were really, actually interested in the answer because it was a part of me, Skylar, and not just because you were interested in me, the dateviators.

“You seeing me and the other Dateables here as real people gave me the ability to make us real. There are so, so few people who could do that. I know you get it from Eddie and Volt a lot, but I’m standing here as a friend and telling you what they’ll tell you until they’re blue in the face. You are special. Don’t ever doubt that. I might have done the actual turning-them-into-people part, but I couldn’t have ever done it if you hadn’t seen them as people in the first place, worthy of the same respect, care and love any person is worthy of. Even the ones you didn’t particularly like.” She adds with a little smirk, bringing to mind the handful that had been like pulling teeth to get to know well enough to turn them into humans. 

Your face is quite red at this point, but it isn’t exactly as if you can refute what the woman is saying, especially looking back. Franklin had been completely caught off guard by the Realization ability, like he hadn’t even considered it a possibility. You aren’t quite sure how to respond, and are saved as you hear a familiar voice chime in from the direction of the dining room, “She’s quite right, you know.” Volt says with a low chuckle, drying his hands on a hand towel you always kept by the dishwasher as he walks over, “Though I’ll admit it’s very good to hear it coming out of someone else’s mouth as well.”

He comes to stand beside you, dropping a kiss on your hair and wrapping a hand around your waist even as he smiles at Skylar, “It has been a pleasure and an honor to get to know you Ms. Specs. Eddie and I will forever be in your debt for allowing us to get to know the piece of ourselves that was missing, though in not nearly as much debt as we are to the livewire themselves.”

Skylar waves him off, still smiling, “I’m glad I was able to get you three together. Not going to lie, there was a little bit in there that I was kinda worried when it was pretty obvious they were avoiding you, but thankfully they’re amazing enough that they talked themselves through it before I had to bring it up. You’ve got some big expectations to live up to Volty, you know that there are plenty of people watching to make sure that they’re treated right.” She lightly teases, and Volt just laughs.

“Believe me, I have no intention in letting anyone down as far as they’re concerned. And even if I did stumble, I’d be the first in line to kick my own ass, with Eddie a step behind. We all make mistakes, but I suppose that’s part of what makes us human, isn’t it? Learning as we go and hopefully making better choices the next time?”

 Skylar just nods before yawning, “Well you crazy kids, I am, for the first time in my existence, absolutely exhausted. I’ll take the couch tonight and start thinking about what my life is gonna look like tomorrow. You two should get upstairs and get some shut up, I know in particular our friend here was up before the sun.”

You hide your own yawn before leaning down to grab Sam’s abandoned glass, turning and kissing Volt on the cheek, “You head on up, I’ll be right behind you after I put this in the sink.”

Volt hums softly before nodding, “Don’t take too long, I do tend to get lonely very quickly dearest.” before releasing you and heading for the stairs. 

You do as you say and quickly head to the kitchen, dumping the drink before quickly rinsing the glass and placing it in the half-filled dish washer to be cleaned later. Taking a moment to yourself, you brace your arms against the lip of the sink, closing your eyes and breathing deeply. Turning around to look at the kitchen, you almost unconsciously try to turn the dateviators on, but while you hear the tell tale sound of them turning ‘on’, nothing changes. No rosey pink filter to look at the world through, no heart radical, no comforting golden shine that was a visual reminder of how many Dateables you’d managed to get through thus far. Without Skylar, the animus working through the dateviators, they’re just normal glasses, like you’d find at any corner store. 

Carefully taking them off, you look them over, considering how much such a simple object has changed your life. True, they’re no longer Skylar, but you still felt a deep attachment to them, and, you admit to yourself, they are rather cute. Closing the arms, you slip them onto the collar of your shirt, heading for the stairs as you do. Turning off lights as you went, you waved one final good night to Skylar before heading up the stairs, yawning again even as you slipped into your room, closing the door behind you. You were going to sleep very, very well tonight.

Chapter Text

It’s about a week before Skylar finally moves out, accepting Franklin’s offer to be his “personal assistant”, which is mostly just a cover so she can help him in perfecting the dateviators so anyone can use them without the government knowing about it.

After the house is completely your own again, you begin to fall into a routine with the boys. You’ve always been a bit of an early bird, and take the duty as Official Coffee Starter for the day, having bought a kettle when it became clear that the boys require more than a single cup of coffee to get going in the mornings. As the coffee brews, you take a shower before doing a load of laundry, then moving about to some other small task for the day. Just as the coffee finishes, Eddie usually makes his way down and starts breakfast while you relax, and then the two of you chat and eat until Volt appears and your day starts in earnest. 

You haven’t yet joined them at their new property, but assure the boys that’s just because you want to take a little time to breathe before starting in on your next adventure. The boys agree and don’t push you outside of asking if you want to accompany them about every other day or so. When you decline, they simply kiss your hair, wish for luck and go on their way. 

After about a month more of this arrangement, you start your morning in much the same way, humming softly when you hear the tell tale signs of Eddie getting up a bit earlier than usual, just as you’ve started the washer. A little odd, but nothing worth commenting on in your estimation. Eddie grunts as you greet him, pouring out a cup of coffee and drinking it black, his face screwing up at the first tentative sip. You drag a chair over from the dining room table, relaxing by the kitchen table as Eddie fries up a couple of eggs for the both of you. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes and you’re both eating in companionable silence. He gets about halfway through his breakfast before he noticeably slows down, poking at the food with a frown on his face that looked like the eggs had just insinuated something about his mother…if he had one.

Finishing your breakfast, you get up and rinse off your plate, putting it in the dishwasher before coming back to sit. Something was clearly on Eddie’s mind, and you find that the best way to get him to tell you is to simply wait. Your patience is rewarded after a few minutes when he sighs gustily and leans back, eyes clouding in the way they do when he’s trying to get his words in order. Biting his lip, he speaks softly and slowly, as if he’s trying to choose each word with the precision of a surgeon, “Somethin’s…Somethin’s been bothering me for a while now live wire. I don’t want you to see this as something to get defensive about, and if you want me to leave it alone, I will but it won’t leave me alone and I feel like…like it wouldn’t if it was actually nothing.”

You tilt your head, eyebrows creasing a bit at both his attitude and the words being used, “O…kay? Eddie, I think we’re to the point where we can ask each other just about anything without worrying the other is going to explode or something. I promise I’ll do my best to answer whatever’s bothering you, kay?” You say, moving slightly closer to the other man, a hand instinctively finding one of his.

His own hand just as instinctively accepts yours, threading your fingers together and gently stroking the back of your hand with a calloused thumb. “It’s…about something you said in that speech back at the big shindig a month ago. You said something that just…stuck in my mind when you were welcoming Skylar and for whatever reason it wedged itself in my head. I dunno if it was the words or just the tone or…or what but…” He uses his free hand to card through his hair, looking away as he begins to ramble. 

You smile to yourself and give his hand a light squeeze, just enough to get him to refocus, to make him look back at you. His eyes find yours and you can see he’s trying to be so, so careful with you. “You said that ‘If it weren’t for her, NO one in this house would be here right now’. It was the ‘NO one’ that caught my ear…like you were including yourself in that statement.  I could be completely off base here and I’m sorry if I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, but…”

He lets himself trail off, eyes staying on yours, searching them for knowledge and truth. You can’t help but wince a bit, taking a deep breath as you take in his question and think. Your talks, the important ones, were often like this. Not a whole lot was said , persay, but each gave the other the time and space they needed to speak as clearly as they could. The silence that envelopes the both of you would have felt suffocating to some, but it’s one held in trust and you know that while he searches your eyes, Eddie isn’t going to force an answer out of you any more than you would one out of him.

Several minutes pass before you speak, “It’s…It’s not the worst that you might have imagined, I’ll say that right off the bat. I’ve never been that lonely or depressed, I want that understood from the start, so you can relax. When I said that I more meant…” Your eyes leave his to stare over his shoulder, into the ether as you remember how you had felt in the days and even minutes before you’d gotten that fateful text. “I meant…I wouldn’t be here, in this house. As you know, I inherited it, but…before Skylar it had felt too big for just me. I’d tried to make it work, I have a lot of really nice memories here, but especially after several…several failed jobs, I was…starting to feel like I didn’t deserve this place.” 

Your gaze swings down, focusing on your clasped hands, “I don’t have to tell you that I’m…a bit of a recluse. Even now, after everything, I can still feel that tendency to curl up and tuck myself into the smallest spot I can find itching in the back of my head. It’s not a part of myself that I particularly like , but it’s there and I’m aware it’s probably gonna be there for the rest of my life. It takes me longer to do things, to be pulled out of the dark corners my mind and eyes go to, and a lot of people take that as just being shy or introverted. Which I am, both of those things, I get way more energy from either being completely on my own or just being quiet with my special people than being in the kind of house I had where I was running all over the place helping everyone. But more than that, there’s something in my head that tells me that I need to be small, unobtrusive, to take up the least amount of space possible. That’s not the same as being shy, and that’s the part that I fight against. But it still slips out, from time to time. So…that’s what I meant. It wasn’t a cry for help or anything, just…me admitting, even just quietly to myself, that if it hadn’t been for Skylar, I would have collapsed under that voice and sold this place, moved somewhere smaller, where I didn’t feel like I was wasting space.”

Eddie stays quiet, letting you speak your mind, though you can see his shoulders relax when he hears you rush to assure him that his darkest imaginings were just that. Absent-mindedly rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb, he turns over your words as he considers his response. When he responds, it’s with a soft tone that’s reserved just for these small moments, these loving but somewhat tense conversations where things that needed to be said were. “Thank you, for trusting me with that. I can’t say I understand the fight you go through on the daily, but it brings me some comfort, knowing that you know the difference between reality and what your mind is telling you. That you know, now at least, that you deserve to take up as much space as you have. Both in this house and in your own life.

“Things were…different, before Skylar came along. It’s sort of hard to explain, though we’ve had this conversation before, of how…aware we were of you, or of any of the other owners, before you. Sort of like…how aware you are of…well…electricity in the house. You know it’s there, you know when something changes, usually, but it’s not something you really give much thought to. The moment Volt saw you though, when you walked through the Breaker Box door for the first time? I hadn’t even seen you yet, and I knew something BIG had changed. Something in the connection between Volt and I shifted…just a little. That’s part of why I came out. I wanted to see if I could tell what had caused that change. I tried to wave it off as that it was just because you were the human. We’d heard about you moving around and talking to things in the house, you know how gossip moved through the bar, but something about you…”

His lips tug, just a little at the corners, and he can’t seem to help himself as he brings your hand to his lips, eyes meeting yours filled with utter devotion, “Something about you made something deep inside of me sing, live wire. It only got harder to ignore when you found me after the show. Didn’t bring up Volt, just acted like you actually gave a damn about me. Oh, you made me fall hard and fast, even if I tried to ignore it. So, while Volt might say it more often, know I whole-heartedly agree with his…with our decision to do our damnedest to make sure you have everything you need to fight that battle, to the best of our ability. Give us the word, and we’d go to war for you, or give you an extra push to help get over a hurdle, or just leave you be if things get to be too much. We love you so, so much, and I am so damn grateful that I get to be a part of your story.”

You blush, just a little, but sigh contentedly. It isn’t often that Eddie is this verbose, but every word is just as carefully considered as if he’d only used a few. You tug on his hand a little so you can return the gesture, grazing your lips over his knuckles as you continue to look at him. “Thank you, Eddie. I can’t tell you how much that means to me, or how much it means that I know you’re always paying attention, even when some people might think you aren’t. I promise, if I need something, you and Volt will be the first people to know after I figure it out.”

Eddie nods, and you spend a few extra seconds in that loving silence before he takes a breath and lets go of your hand, returning to his breakfast. Taking that as a sign that that was the end of the conversation, you get up to start the laundry and the both of you act as if nothing had taken place, back to the happily domestic scene that your life has come to expect. Volt gets up and trundles downstairs, hair a mess as it usually is when he knows there’s no one about that he needs to impress, and life goes on as normal. Eventually they both are ready to face the day and Volt presses a kiss to your hair as he often does, and offers once more, “Would you like to accompany us today, darling? Eddie’s messing with the wiring back in the kitchen while I sort through some paperwork we found in the office we managed to finally break into. I’m sure either of us would thoroughly enjoy your brilliant company to help the time and work go by.”

You open your mouth to laugh him off like you usually do, when you catch Eddie’s eyes, and something in your mind catches. Maybe it was time to take up just a little more space… “...You know what? Yeah, sure. There’s nothing around here that I need to do today, and I need to get out of the house one of these days. Why not today?”

You could light the entire house with the smile Volt gives you, the way his back straightens and his chest seems to fill. “Wonderful! I know you’ve seen pictures but photos really do not do it justice, dear. You’ll love it, I just know you will.”

He says even as he offers you his arm. Eddie comes up just behind you, mostly because you couldn’t fit all three of you through the door at once, placing a gentle hand on the other shoulder, “If you ever feel like you’re done for the day, don’t hesitate to tell us, kay? We know this is a big step, you’re in control here.”

You smile back at him, nodding, “I know, thank you, both of you. I feel a little braver because I know you’re both with me.”

Volt presses another kiss to your hair as Eddie drops one to the back of your shoulder, “Every step of the way.” before you open the door and head out into the world proper for the first time in a long time.

Chapter Text

Three more months pass in a pleasant buzz of activity now that you’ve managed to take your first step into the wider world, with your boys firmly beside you all the while. Not to say you completely leave your hermit-esque ways behind you. There are certain weeks, especially near the beginning, when you spend a couple of hours in total out of the house. Still, the more you do it, the easier it gets. It’s helped along immensely when several Dateables start touching base more regularly, inviting you out to this activity or that. You had a sneaking suspicion that your boys were behind the uptick, but it doesn’t really bear commenting on. 

So you have at least a few nights or days every week that you spend out of your boys’ company and with the many other friends you’d made. Dunk would invite you to see his little league team play, which just so happened to be referee’d by Parker, or Miranda would offer you front row seats to her newest concert when she’s in town. Dante would invite you out to a new bar that just opened up, along with Wyndolyn and Rod, Curt is out directing his first movie, which Rod lambasts and compliments in equal turn all night long. 

Dasha, Jerry, Lyric and Chance are all regular enough guests, you’re working through your first campaign whenever schedules align, sometimes in person, sometimes over the internet if Lyric has to be somewhere out of the country. Lyric also accompanies you when Artt invites you out to the museum that he’s now the security guard of, the three of you chatting amicably about both the pieces themselves and possible inspirations both artistic and literary. You keep up with several others who are less likely to be able to keep regular physical contact as best you can, even Freddy manages to get you post cards every now and again, a large “F” on the back, carefully written, lets you know exactly who it’s from.

The restaurant comes along in equal fashion. Between the three of you, it isn’t long before you have the place up and hopping, Mitchell even stops by to give your food his star of approval, even if his own food reviews haven’t quite hit the big time yet, you find his approval invaluable. Still, when you come home after another jam packed day, you can’t help but notice that some of the spark was lost in Volt and Eddie’s eyes. It wasn’t just that you are all tired, though that could certainly explain some of it. It’s more a sense…that none of you are getting quite as much joy out of the place as you had when you were fixing it up. One night, after you take a rare night shower to soothe a pulled muscle in your back, you come out to find Volt sitting on the sofa, nursing a drink. Lights off in the rest of the house told you Eddie’s already gone to bed, and you naturally flit over to Volt, smiling gently down at him, “Room on that couch for one more, handsome?”

He chuckles softly, but quietly moves to make more room for you, looking up at you with the same smile on his lips, “For you, live wire? Always.”

You curl up beside the man, resting your head on his wide shoulder as you tuck your feet up behind you, wrapping your arms around one of his. Some random show is on the tv, though the fact that the sound is off is all the indication you need to tell you that Volt mostly wanted it in as a distraction more than anything. Once you’re nice and settled, you glance up at the man who had been the first, even if it was only by a few minutes, to steal your heart. “Penny for your thoughts?” You ask quietly, ready to back off if he wants but you’d long ago learned that unlike Eddie, Volt appreciates the invitation to begin to speak. One of the differences between them that somehow managed to still help keep them perfectly complimentary.

He sighs softly, taking another sip of his drink, ice clinking in the glass as he stares off into space. He opens his mouth once or twice, making a small noise before he closes it again, frowning as he tries to put whatever was bothering him down into words.After a few minutes of this, he glances down at you, smiling when he catches your eyes and pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “It’s just the voices that whisper in the night love, nothing more. I’ll certainly be right as rain after a good night’s rest. It’s just…”

He takes another sip before moving carefully to place the cup on the coffee table without dislodging you, then shifting the both of you around so he can hold you more easily, “I suppose I thought it was going to feel…different after we got the place up and running. Don’t get me wrong, I could not be more proud of all the work we’ve done and seeing that place thrive again but…” He frowns as he trails off.

“But it felt better when we were doing the work to get the place up and running again?” You venture, teasing out what was the most likely cause of his frustration.

He squeezes you a little tighter, humming, “Yes, that, exactly. I mean, I very much enjoy when I’m breezing table to table and making sure everyone’s having a good time, but the actual day to day paperwork and minutiae of running a restaurant is far less…invigorating than I had previously thought. Which is odd, because while I was going through the same sort of paperwork to get the place back into shape, I loved it! Finding the best options and making sure you and Eddie had everything you could possibly need was exhilarating in its own way, especially when I saw a need before either of you did and took care of it. Seeing the realization on your faces when it became apparent to you was a bit of a high, I don’t mind saying. But now…it just feels…dull, for lack of a better word.

He frowns, continuing to hold you close, “But we’ve put so much work into this place, I see so much of you and Eddie and myself everywhere I look in there, it feels terrible to say that I’m not as infatuated with it as I once had been. It’s the first thing that Eddie and I picked up after becoming human that felt like we’d really found a place in the wider world for us , you know? Like I said, it’s probably just exhaustion talking, but you asked and I am loathe to keep anything from you, my little spark.”

You hum back in response, resting your head on his chest now, closing your eyes to listen to the dull thump of his heart, a sound that never failed to calm you down. It’s constant, steady and a gentle reminder of his humanity, a reminder that you’re really there, together, with no need for a Suspension of Disbelief or anything else to stay exactly as you are. You feel him bring up a hand to gently stroke your hair, and it feels like the world falls away until it’s just the two of you, snug together and safe in each other. Taking the time to think over what he’s said, you shift, just a little, before speaking, “I think we should talk it over with Eddie, obviously, but you aren’t really…alone in feeling like that. I love the diner, but I love it because of all the little moments it gave me with you two. It’s amazing to see how many people have come to love it, but I don’t feel the same drive to get there every day as when it was just the three of us.”

You move your head to gently kiss his chest, gazing up at him as he continues to stroke your hair lovingly, “We’ll figure this out Volt. Just like we’ve figured out everything until now. If nothing else, we got a step closer, and that’s important. You and Eddie taught me that every step is important, even if it’s not the final one.”

He nods, chuckle rumbling through his body and into yours, “You spoil me with understanding live wire. Every time I believe we may be stuck, you’re right there, calming my nerves and assuring me that I don’t have to have the answer all the time. Bit of a bad habit for me, that. Feeling like I have to know exactly what to do to make things better. Maybe it’s left over from my original purpose, who knows?”

You smile, cuddling closer, “Well, you don’t have a specific purpose anymore beyond what you give yourself. You’ll get over it, or at least learn how to keep it under control, just like any other human does. And Eddie an’ I’ll be there every step of the way, just like you two are there for me, and how we’re there for Eddie. We have enough stubborn pride between the three of us that we need more than one push to do what we know is the right call sometimes.”

This gets a full laugh out of him, and he squeezes you once more before releasing you with a sigh, “When you’re right, you’re right, of course. All the better that we balance each other as we do. Come now dearest, much longer on this couch with your divine presence and I’m likely to fall asleep, and then Eddie will yell at the both of us and give not even the slightest mercy for our sore backs in the mornings.”

He makes a show of stretching as you giggle and move, slowing standing before offering him a hand up, if only for that moment more of contact, which he gratefully takes, giving only the barest hint of a smirk as a warning before you find yourself whisked up into his arms, princess style. He leans down to give you a proper, chaste kiss, and breaks it before it can become anything more, winking down at you when you pout. “Not tonight love, though perhaps if we can convince Eddie taking a day off would be beneficial, tomorrow morning might be on the table.”

You sigh over-dramatically, but wrap your arms around his neck and rest your head on his shoulder as he slowly, carefully makes his way over to and then up the stairs, enjoying being carried almost as much as Volt seems to enjoy carrying you. Angling you carefully, you help open the door to the bedroom, hearing Eddie’s soft snores as you do. Carefully, quietly, Volt comes over, sets you down on your feet for a moment, moves the blankets before picking you back up and tucking you in close to Eddie. The shorter man instinctively wraps an arm around your waist and a leg tangles with one of yours in his sleep, settling once his subconscious mind is assured that you aren’t going anywhere. In the quiet darkness, you can still see Volt’s brilliant hair, and his smile as he goes to close the door again before joining on your other side. You’re quite glad that you’ve always been a back sleeper, giving your boys equal chance to keep you warm and safe. Volt’s arm joins Eddie’s, his forehead bending to gently press against yours, giving you one last kiss on the cheek and a mumbled good night before his eyes close and his breathing slows.

You are somewhat amazed at just how quickly he and Eddie fall asleep, but chalk it up to them spending so much energy through the day that they’re exhausted by the end of it. As it is, it gives you a chance to have a moment to yourself, in the quiet of your own mind, hemmed in from where darker thoughts may have taken the opportunity to strike  by the clear, present, physically felt reality of how unbelievably lucky and loved you are. 

As it is, you take the moment to stare up at the ceiling, offering up a silent bit of gratitude to whoever or whatever had given you this amazing life. You know that you would have been fine if fate or a god, or pure dumb luck hadn’t put everything into motion to put you where you were right now. You would have survived, however that may have ended up looking, but you’re also certain that you wouldn’t be nearly as happy as you are at the moment. There were times, even now, that you worried to yourself, how this was going to work. To say the relationship you, Volt and Eddie found yourselves in was odd could possibly be the understatement of your life, and as Eddie had mentioned those long months ago before you Realized the both of them, the longer you were together, the higher the likelihood was that you were going to find people that didn’t understand. That they were going to try to define and box your relationship into something that it wasn’t, because they wanted easy, bite-sized answers.

But lying here, surrounded by love and care and the gentle attention of these two, those people seem far away and far less important than they can seem in the light of day. Like you’d told Volt, you’d figure out the future together. Figure out what definitions you agreed with, and which ones you were okay with for brevity’s sake and legal purposes. You’d stared down the government before, you could do it again if it meant keeping what was precious to you right where it was supposed to be. Closing your eyes, you give one last, silent thought towards the future, and then let it take care of itself as you drift off to sleep, a hand gently placed on the arms of the men who held your heart between them, complete and without a single strain between them.

Chapter Text

“Eddie, leave it alone. If you keep messing with it, you’re either going to make Holly think you don’t trust her, ruin it to the point we can’t hide your fiddling, or both.” Volt admonishes his other half, the teasing tone clear in his voice as he moves things around before stepping back to make sure they look as picturesque and perfect as possible. 

The black-haired man grunts, frowning mightily, “It’s not that I don’t trust her, I just…want to make sure everything’s perfect , you know? It’s not like you’re much better. Keep scooting the furniture back and forth and we’re gonna start getting scratches on the floor that we’re not gonna be able to remove.”

This brings up the other man short, half-opening his mouth before closing it, sighing and running a hand through his hair, “Alright, alright, you’re correct. I suppose we both have more than a little nervous energy to work out.Though I suppose it’s understandable, it is quite the big day.”

Eddie snorts, nodding, still frowning at the cake that Holly had brought over ‘special delivery’ less than an hour ago before making himself leave it and coming over to Volt, deciding they both needed a distraction, “You could definitely say that. I don’t think I’ve been this nervous since I made the decision to split myself. Sure I’ve been more scared , but that’s not really the same thing, ya know?”

Volt easily slings an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders, bringing him in for a forehead kiss, regardless of the look of slight annoyance that brings him, “Sure enough. And what a decision that was, one which I am, of course, infinitely grateful you made. And I suspect you’re just as grateful. Admit it, your life would only be half as fun if you didn’t have me around.”

Eddie rolls his eyes, “Half as stressful maybe, you big dork.” He replies with absolutely no bite to his voice at all. He lets himself be held close by Volt as he looks around their new place. It feels odd, not seeing the familiar rooms and objects that he’d known his entire life…lives really, but he’s proud of this place too. While it doesn’t have memories of the house, everywhere he looks seems less…communal and more dedicated to just those people who matter most to him. This wasn’t a place that he shared with dozens of other Objects, this is somewhere that’s reserved for only the people HE wants.

He’s brought out of his thoughts by another kiss, this time to the temple, “You’re missing the house again, aren’t you?” Volt teases, raising a cocky eyebrow down at him, smirk on his lips that makes Eddie huff quietly.

“No actually. Or…Not the house , per say…”

“Aaaah, I see. Our missing piece then. Yes, I can understand that. It does seem oddly empty and quiet here without them, doesn’t it?” Volt supplies quietly, tone soft and understanding.

Eddie makes a face, his heart giving the small tug it always did whenever he’s reminded of them. He remembers, back before his life had even really been a life, he had been completely sure that he and Volt were all one another needed. They were literally made to fit together, and Eddie was completely comfortable with that, knowing that he had someone who complimented him perfectly because they couldn’t help it. But then…then those glasses had shown up and his life had gotten so much more chaotic and confusing…and wonderful. He’d never imagined anyone could make him feel comfortably more than complete, but it had happened. While he and Volt still work perfectly fine on their own, there’s a spark that came along with that miracle that made things work even better. Eddie’s hands itch slightly, and he stuffs them in his pockets, gripping a small fidget toy he always keeps in there for these times.”Yeah…Yeah it is. Though I’m sure by the end of the day quiet is going to be all I want.”

This gets a laugh out of Volt, who removes his arm from around Eddie’s shoulders and gives him a gentle smack on the back, “Come on now, we still have some things to put the finishing touches on before everything kicks on, my grumpy kitten.”

Eddie frowns again, “Don’t call me that.” He growls, but with no real heat. Volt would never use it in front of other people, knowing it was just the type of nickname that could catch on and while Eddie didn’t like Volt using it, out of anyone else’s mouth he’d physically react. Well… almost anyone else’s mouth. He shakes his head to clear it, going to help Volt with the last of the preparations.

It had turned out that Eddie had been having the same misgivings about the diner, but equally had felt that he couldn’t bring them up because he didn’t want to pressure a decision. After a consensus is reached, Volt put his not-inconsiderable persuasive abilities to use and the diner had quickly sold to a couple who had both the means and the drive to make it the success it was meant to be. After that, with a bit more floundering, Eddie, Volt and their mysterious silent third partner had founded High Voltage Real Estate, a company with a quickly growing reputation for finding the worst run-down properties and reviving them from the brink of condemnation. They enjoyed every moment of it, though it soon became clear that their home base didn’t really work that well for the business. While they both loved the small town charm of it, it also became quickly clear that their talents were best used in a larger city, with more properties close at hand so they didn’t have to live out of hotels during a project.

It was a difficult decision, but one that all three agreed to, and even so Volt took his time finding the perfect place to lay down roots. This was unlike the other properties he found and bought with the easy knowledge that he’d get to see it come to life under his beloveds’ experienced hands, this was going to be their place, and so it had to be perfect. After it was found, and agreed upon, he actually left the selling of the old place to his dearest. While he would be along to help and give advice, he understood that it was an important bit of closure for them to be in charge of how it was let go. So, while that was in the works, he and Eddie set about making the new place as much a home as they possibly could in between projects.

Volt had a tendency to insist on buying the best of the best, arguing that quality was an investment and was worth the extra money up front, and often had to be argued down to something solid but more ‘reasonably priced’, especially when Eddie and their live wire made it clear that they weren’t comfortable USING some of the things he had bought because they felt too fancy for every day use. This is how they managed most of their conflicts, with open communication and understanding, even when emotions were high and tempers frayed. Nine times out of ten they didn’t push, and the one time they did, it was understood it wasn’t out of malice, but of genuine concern. So life continued, until today, with Eddie and Volt zipping around the new place like the world was on fire.

Because it was a very special day, for more than one reason. The first and second they had known quite a bit in advance, the day that the paperwork was finally signed and the house was officially sold, and it happened to be the anniversary of that fated encounter where they’d been given a new lease on life, when Eddie’s faulty wire had finally been mended. The last had been a surprise to the boys’ about a week prior, thanks to info that had been not so subtly dropped by Sam during a private conversation. The boys adored Sam, beyond being just the right amount of snark and sweet that Eddie seemed to effortlessly get along with, she was also a fount of information about their live wire that the person in question just…never seemed to get around to telling the two themselves. This is how the boys’ found out that the same day the sale was going to be finalized, the day that already held so much significance to them, was also their little spark’s birthday.

Well, that obviously was incredibly important information, shared with the rest of the thiscord server where the Objects kept up with each other, in a private room away from both their live wire and some of the…more loose lipped Objects. In the main chatroom, they planned a party that was going to serve as a joint house warming party and an unofficial reunion for all the Objects that could possibly come. That had already been in the works from the moment that the new place had been settled on. But now, behind the scenes, the boys worked to tweak things so it would also serve as a birthday party for the human who mattered to them most. Yesterday they had sent out a message to the last few former Objects to let them know, with the explicit instructions that they should not mention anything to the guest of honor, even if that meant not talking to them at all until the party. Fantina in particular hadn’t really liked that, but Volt had managed to get her to see reason, somehow. Eddie, in the mean time, had headed off Bathsheba, who had been half-way to texting her bosses insisting on putting together a blow-out party at her job, with herself as the “host” and thusly in her mind the most important person. Eddie had roundly forbade that and any other hare-brained schemes on the grounds that if she went through with it, he’d make sure that the only people to show up would be Dishy, Errol, Doug and Rebel.

Thus satisfied that the chaos was…mostly contained at least, they had set to making sure their place was reliably ‘chaos proofed’, as Eddie put it. It wasn’t more than an hour since they’d both woken up day of that the first round of guests arrives, what had been roundly called ‘the helpers’. Those who couldn’t keep themselves from getting pleasure out of making life easier for everyone else. Celia, Florence, Wallace, Dorian, Able, Dasha, Farya, and Arma all arrive more or less together, and they quickly set to work helping wherever Volt and Eddie point them. About an hour later, Mateo, Dante, Lyric, Beverly, Stella, Tony, Prissy and Artt showed up in ones and twos and throw their hats in the ring with both helping to make everything perfect and making the place more lively. 

Phoenicia somehow slips in without anyone noticing and had been two seconds away from posting on her blog about the preparations when Eddie physically plucks the phone from her hands. After being pissed for a moment, she has the decency to look embarrassed that her posting instincts had momentarily overwhelmed her common sense. Koa, Freddy, Rongo, Teddy, Winnifred, Stefan, Tydus and Kristof all arrive together, with Freddy in the middle in an attempt to hide how abnormally large the yeti was compared to normal humans by surrounding him with other big people. No one could say how effective it was. What is effective is the Hanks that show up five minutes behind them, talking with Dunk and Bodhi about their latest “radical” stunts. Jean Loo appears with Jonny Splash, Mac and Bobbi, looking already thoroughly put out as Bobbi tries to sell him on a new scheme they’d come up with to make “some quick dough”. Tina, Bathsheba, Lux and Stepford somehow all come in at the same time, and the moment they step through the door, Volt is there, smiling generously while holding out a tub, insisting all devices be placed inside until at least the surprise had been sprung. Once he’s sure all of the devices have been confiscated, he waves them inside. 

Eddie retreats for a few minutes to the bedroom, flopping down on the bed and closing his eyes, taking several deep breaths even as he wishes their live wire was there to help him recharge. There are a LOT of people in the apartment, and even though the place was built to take it and more, he certainly wasn’t. Taking the down time as a chance to catch up on DMs and the like, he sighs softly in relief when he gets rude texts from Rebel, Doug and Errol reaffirming that they would not be showing up. Parker also sent along a message saying he wasn’t going to be there, but mentioned something about ‘the die not allowing him to leave’ as his reasoning. Eddie had long ago learned to not question the man, so he just reassures him that he’d make sure everyone knew. 

Monique and Skips sent along their best wishes, but both declined coming because either work needed to be taken care of, or there were simply too many people. Eddie blinks as he sees a bank transfer from an anonymous source for…honestly an almost worrying amount of money, before brushing it off as Sophia sending her own well wishes the only way she can at the moment.

He’s just closing his phone screen again when a noticeable uptick in noise tells him more people have arrived, and from the sound of it, it’s a large group. “That must be the party bus.” He grumbles mostly to himself. There had been several people coming from all corners of the globe, and several of them had agreed that it made the most sense to pool their money to rent a bus from the airport to the apartment. This included the one person Eddie had hoped couldn’t come but had honestly been about one of the most gung-ho about attending…Reggie. Others on the list had been Keys, Rainey, Ronaldini, Clarence, Hoove, Luke, Connie, Dolly, Gaia and Miranda, among others. Eddie had almost winced when he saw poor Barry and Timmy on that list, but they were both grown men, if they thought they could handle being in a space that small with the likes of Cabbrizio, Curt, Rod and Jacques, he wasn’t going to police them. Jacques…the man had insisted that they didn’t need to hire a driver because ‘Steering a bus is just like steering a boat’, and hadn’t allowed anyone to correct him. 

Pressing the balls of his hands to his eye sockets, he groans softly, taking a deep breath before making himself sit back up. This was all for their spark, the human who had given so much to them. He can handle one day of chaos, just for the look on their face when they walk through the door and realize that there were several dozen more people than originally planned. One of the most far flung guests made themselves known when she knocked softly on the door before opening it slightly.

Kopi’s round face is slightly red as she clears her throat, “Hey Eddie, Volt asked I come up and let you know that everything’s ready and you can take as much time as you like up here. He’s going over what exactly’s gonna happen when the guest of honor gets here, and everything’s well in hand.”

Eddie gives her a tired smile, “Thanks Kopi. Could you uh, could you make sure some of our more introverted guests know they’re free to use the guest bedroom across the hall if they need a little time to themselves? I know I’m a more extreme example but this is a lotta people in a little space and I know you know how to get the info into the right hands and out of the wrong ones.”

Kopi’s smile brightens and she nods, “No problem. Sam sent a message to Volt just as we came in saying everything’s done and they’ll be here in about twenty minutes.”

Eddie nods and waves his assent, Kopi taking that as the dismissal it was and closing the door quietly, heading back downstairs to mill about with everyone. Resting his elbows on his knees, he blows out a long breath as he gathers his strength for the coming party. A gleam catches his eye and his gaze slides over to the bedside table, where a small photo frame sat with pride. It was a picture of the three of them, he, Volt and their little spark between them, taken on the day High Voltage Real Estate became an official business. Their live wire had insisted that they all go out for ice cream, and while the treat was a little too sweet for Eddie’s taste, he had never really learned how to say no to either of the two dorks. 

Smiling gently in the memory of what his life has become, he grunts as he stands up, stretching out his back and checking his phone one last time. A message from Dishy that was a simple thumbs down, Eddie took that as the strange man declining to come, along with promises from Holly, Vaughn, Daisuke, Willi and a veritable essay from Washford that they would make appearances if they could get off of work/make it in time are all checked before he shoves his phone back into his pocket. Enough. If others showed up, they showed up. There were already over fifty guests under their roof, a dozen or so more weren’t going to make that much of a difference. 

Opening the bedroom door, Eddie is immediately almost overwhelmed by the low but much louder than usual hum of conversation below him. Coming over to the hand railing that allows him to see out over the living room from the second floor, he can’t help but smile softly at the very, very visible reminder that his extra spark was so incredibly loved and cared for. Pulling his phone out, he snapped a pic for future use whenever they were having a down day, which still happened from time to time. Physical proof he could pull up about how much they’d changed lives was always helpful. He knows it won’t be the only photo snapped today, not with Phoenicia here, but this one was just for him. 

His heart fills as he takes the steps two at a time, once again thankful for Volt’s height and incredibly noticeable hair color, clocking him over talking to Mitchell and Amir on one side of the room without even really having to look. Squeezing through the crowds of excited guests, throwing a nod or a short greeting to those who he’d kept in closer contact with, telling this one or that where to put something, he eventually makes his way over to the trio, Volt’s face lighting up when the crowd finally spits him out, wrapping an arm around his waist and maneuvering him so that he was between Eddie and the crush, “Eddie! Mitchell here was just regaling us with the latest critic critique he published. Truely, Linn, your tongue is sharper than any knife in our kitchen.”

The blonde laughs a bit, waving off the compliment, “I give nothing that those low brows don’t heartily deserve. Honestly, so many of them wouldn’t know a good meal if it came up and bit them on the keister, it’s depressing. If you’re going to critique a dish, at least understand the culture behind what’s placed in front of you. But anyways, I don’t want to bring down the mood, it is a delight to see you again Eddie, it’s been far too long.”

Eddie nods, shifting slightly as he tries to keep himself from tensing up with this many bodies around, “It’s good to see you too Mitch, Amir. Oh, Volt, ‘cause you’ve got a better head for this than I do…” He fishes his phone out, “I got a few DMs for people who are and aren’t coming. I can’t remember the whole list, but I know Dishy and Parker were in there.” 

He passes the device over to Volt, who makes quick work of looking through the DMs and making a mental note of who is and isn’t showing up, never losing his ever-present smirk.”Well, I’m certain they’ll make appearances at other get togethers. It is rather difficult to get a hundred some odd people to be completely free on a single day. Hime, dearest, I’m sure your story is amazing, but I would ask you to refrain from swinging your arms around too wildly. You’re liable to smack someone in the face.” He says, attention split but a nearby conversation when he notices the tennis star making some exaggerated movements, raising his voice just enough to be heard by the young woman, who has the grace to look just a shade embarrassed. 

Just as he’s handing the phone back to Eddie, the device vibrates, causing Eddie to check it before clearing his throat, giving Volt a meaningful look. Volt catches it immediately and gives him a quick kiss to the temple before sliding away from him and up onto a nearby table with a grace and ease that belied his tall, muscular frame, clapping his hands to gather everyone’s attention to himself. It takes a few moments for the conversation to die down, but soon enough all eyes are on Volt, as they always seem to be.

“Alright, alright you scofflaws and ducky whatsits, time to calm down for a bit. We’ve just received word that our guest of honor is in the elevator and is heading up as we speak. If we could all move a bit away from the door so they aren’t immediately overwhelmed, yes, yeees that’s good, just like that. Now! Speaking of, we’re here to celebrate the starting of a new chapter of the one person who means the most to everyone in this room, who literally gave us a chance at life. We all watched them struggle and survive for years before our dearest Skylar came into their possession and changed literally our entire world. And, while I wouldn’t dare to diminish Ms. Specs contributions, our live wire was the one who had to actively work on themselves to make sure that they could keep as many of us safe from Valdivian as possible. 

“Regardless of what they believe of themselves, everyone in this room is more than aware of how amazing they are. And so, we reunite, in this lovely new apartment, from all corners of the globe, to celebrate the life that gave us life. May they live a long and happy life, succeeding in every venture they put their hands to, and continue to light up both our worlds and the world at large. And now, my dearest friends in the world, the guest of the hour!” 

He says, gesturing to the door just as the handle begins to turn, directing everyone’s attention there as it swings open to show a widely grinning Sam and the one person besides Eddie that Volt cared most for in the world, smile transforming into shock when they see the birthday banner draped over across the back wall, along with several more guests than they had expected, all grinning back as they enthusiastically shout, “CONGRATULATIONS AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”