Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dark.

It’s dark and cold.

It’s dark and cold, and you’re alone, bumbling through life, without a care in the world.

How were you created? Where are your parents? Do they know of the heinous things you’ll do because they never cared enough to ask?

Maybe they did. Maybe they asked the right questions, said the right things, and you still turned out to be a monster. Nature versus nurture, right? It’s the debate of a century when it comes to people like you.

Like you. There was nobody like you for a long, long time. Your peculiar interests scared off other kids, and most adults just brushed off your unusual behavior as “a kid being a kid”.

But you weren’t just any kid. No, you knew you were different. You knew you were different from the looks other kids gave you in class. You knew you didn’t fit in when backpacks and lunch boxes were placed in open seats, preventing you from sitting next to your peers.

The toilet in the bathroom was your only friend for many, many years.

But you were older now, and things had changed. You were specifically told that things would change. That you’d make friends easier when other kids had started to mature.

You quickly discovered that maturity only made your peers meaner. Weird glances had been exchanged for taunting words, and being excluded would be merciful compared to the physical abuse that had been a part of your daily routine.

It wasn’t like you were being shoved head-first into lockers or given a swirlie in the toilet - oh no, the kids you grew up with were downright cruel. They, somehow, knew how to make every single incident look like an accident.

It’d be enough to drive anyone mad - maybe that’s why you ended up like you did?

A dodgeball being thrown at your face by a boy who went through puberty much earlier than his peers? Wrong place, wrong time! Walking to class and having a group of kids push you away from your class, making you late? You should’ve kept better track of time! Other kids stealing your school supplies so you’d get in trouble with the teacher? You might’ve been able to win that one, if it was your words against about five others.

You were able to catch them once, after you had a stroke of genius by putting your name on one of your pencils, but your tormentors only got a slap on the wrist in terms of punishment.

Your punishment ended up being much, much worse - the bloody noses from stray dodgeballs were nothing compared to the beating that you received the next day.

You lied to your family, telling them you fell off your bike while riding home from school, but you all knew that was a lie. But you weren’t going to tell a soul - if they did this after you tattled on them for stealing a fucking pencil, then you were positive that they’d kill you if you told on them for this.

Little did they know that it’d, someday, be the other way around.

You learned a valuable lesson that day. Keep your head low, don’t talk to them, don’t scream or react when they talk to you. That worked, for the most part - it’s no fun to bully someone who doesn’t give you any reaction.

Your face became blank, your expression bare as you trudged through life. You were the shell of the shell of a person, if you could even call yourself that. You felt numb and alone, so fucking alone-

You weren’t watching where you were going as you slammed into someone else.

“Sorry.” Your eyes stay on the floor as you mumble an apology.

“God, watch where you’re going!” They scoff as you try to move around them.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-” The words just keep spilling out of you as tears threaten to fall.

You’re so over this shit. You’re over feeling like the world is against you. Maybe you should provoke your bullies so they’ll finally make all of those kill yourself jokes a reality-

“Hey!” A voice - a boy’s, one your age - rings out.

Was someone finally going to step in and help you out?

No, that was too naive. No one would want to be around you, let alone help you out.

“We’ll be gone in just a minute-” The person next to you grabs your arm and tries to haul you off, and you cry out in fear as you attempt to pull yourself out of their grasp.

It’s no use. You’re not strong enough, you never have been.

A hand, a gentle hand, pries you and your bully apart. You didn’t stop pulling, so you end up on the floor with a terrified look in your eyes.

“You should leave them alone.” A different voice, one with a British accent, belongs to your savior as he stands between you and the other person.

“But-”

“Go.” You shudder at the scary look in his eyes as they scamper away.

You back up to the wall, unsure of what’s going to happen next, as the boy turns to face you. He has a kind face, one that you’re not used to, and his eyes soften as he looks at you. His hair is shockingly white, in pretty curls that perfectly frame his face.

“Are you alright?” He asks, but you don’t answer.

You’re too scared that the tide will turn, that his face will turn sour and his words will drip with venom. Everyone’s words always do when it comes to you.

“They’re scared shitless, Volt.” Your head snaps to the side as you recognize this voice as the first one that you heard.

This one is significantly shorter than Volt, but his gaze is piercing and intense. You feel like he’s scrutinizing you without words as he looks you up and down.

They’re friends, at a minimum. Them being friends was never a good sign, kids in groups tended to gang up on you and treat you worse-

“Language, Eddie.” Volt tells his friend off, and Eddie scoffs.

“You cannot be serious-”

The pair dissolves into needless arguing, but there’s something familiar and calming about them. You find yourself relaxing, and the tears fade from your vision as you stay in their company.

Volt and Eddie. You could get used to these two. They’re something different about them, and you feel like they can sense that there’s something different in you.

You don’t know what it is - maybe they’ve been in your shoes before?

You’d come to discover that they shared the same darkness that had captured your mind, the one that trapped you in its clutches. Was it a cruel twist of fate, or were you always going to meet them?

They’d change your life, and you’d change theirs. Irrevocably.

They were your destiny. Your doom. Your saviors. Your enablers.

And eventually, when it was time - your lovers.

Chapter Text

You’ve never had friends before.

You don’t know what to say to Eddie and Volt - should you ask them to hang out at your house? Theirs? Where do they live, anyways? They’re so attached at the hip that you’d be surprised if they lived separately.

You’re getting ahead of yourself - you got an invitation to sit with them at lunch for one day.

But one day became two, two became a full week, a week became a school term, and before you knew it, you could actually call them your friends.

It came so naturally with them. You could go head-to-head with Eddie, throwing playful comments back-and-forth until you were both smiling cheek-to-cheek, or you could chat with Volt for hours about every topic underneath the sun until sunrise became sunset. The best days were when you three were having a passionate discussion, completely unaware of the time, until a teacher had to pull you three apart and remind you that you had to go to class after lunch.

No wonder the three of you became such an efficient killing machine. You clicked together, like fucked-up puzzle pieces, from the moment you met.

You noticed that you only ever smiled with them. No one else got to see this side of you. You appeared to be a cold, unfeeling kid, but it was quite the opposite when you were with those two. You’d give anything to make them happy, to keep Eddie and Volt by your side.

They’d do the same for you, in more than one way.

But you couldn’t stay like this forever - you had to grow up, at one point or another.

Turns out, growing up had its perks. Your bullies seemed more scared of you since you could look them in the eye, and you learned to develop a harsh tongue that’d defend you against any harm.

But, let’s be honest, now - you were mostly left alone because you had two terrifying guard dogs at your side. Volt was physically intimidating - he was taller than you when you met him, and you swore up and down that he grew an extra three inches every summer. His demeanor was the opposite of his looks, and he often drew people in with honeyed words and soft promises so they wouldn’t have a chance to hurt you. He was charming, irresistibly charming, and Volt used that against you and Eddie on more than one occasion.

Then there was Eddie. He might not have Volt’s physical stature, but if looks could kill, then those steel-grey eyes would be on a murderous streak. Of course, his mouth was nothing to bark at either - if Eddie’s face didn’t say it, then his words definitely did. You often wouldn’t have a chance to defend yourself before he told someone to fuck off on your behalf.

There was only one problem with growing up - a staggering, massive one that threatened to swallow you whole.

You were eighty-five - no, ninety - percent sure that you were in love with your friends.

How could you not be? They were kind, handsome, attentive, handsome, smart - did you mention how fucking hot they were?

It was probably the teenage hormones making you feel this way. You’d have no chance with either of them - let alone Eddie and Volt together. They were way, way out of your league.

In your cloud of self-depreciation, you failed to notice how friendly gazes became longing ones. How touches lingered, side hugs turned into warm embraces, and hand-holding expressed something more than friendship. Something that you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

If you noticed sooner, would things have turned out differently? Would you tell a story of love instead of a Shakespearean tragedy?

Or were the three of you destined to become murderers the moment your paths crossed?

You brushed it off as an evolution of your friendship with them. Of course you’d become more affectionate as you grew older and began to understand your preferences when it came to these things.

But friends don’t look at each other the way you three look at each other. They don’t spend hours trying to figure out what to say to you in order to make you understand their devotion, their love and care for you.

And they certainly don’t come up with sweet nicknames for you based on a stupid mistake that you made in your engineering class.

It must’ve been your second or third year in secondary school. The end was so close, yet so far out of reach. You just had one or two more years to go until you were out of this hellhole, and you never had to see any of these people again.

Not counting Eddie and Volt, of course.

Your days tended to drag on since neither of them were in any of your morning classes, and the only time you actually got to see them was at lunch. But lunch was only thirty minutes, and it blew by too fast for you.

Luckily, one of your afternoon elective courses ended up being an Introduction to Engineering course, in the hopes of inspiring young students to chase a STEM degree. The material was kinda interesting, especially since your teacher explored all of the different types of engineering, but you mostly liked the course because Eddie and Volt were there.

Don’t fool yourself - you weren’t really paying attention to what the teacher was saying, not when Volt is passing you notes and trying to fluster you with some cheesy pick-up while Eddie rolls his eyes and cringes. But there’s a twinkle of affection in his eyes, reserved for only you and Volt.

One day, in particular, Volt was being especially insufferable with his flirting. You were supposed to be working in a lab for the electrical engineering section of the class, and you just had to be paired up with him. You tried to shoot Eddie a ‘save-me’ look, but he shook his head and softly chuckled before finding a partner of his own.

You felt bad splitting them up, but they wouldn’t let you be paired up with anyone else after your first lab partner kept “accidentally” knocking over your structure during the civil engineering portion of the class. Besides, they were quick to reassure you that they liked spending one-on-one time with you.

“Come, now, won’t you look at me?” Volt’s nearly begging for your attention as you mess with the bundle of wires in front of you. “You’re so cruel when you deprive me of the sight of your striking face.”

“Volt!” You softly whine as you manage to untangle the wires. “Give me a hand, please?”

“Of course, darling.”

You shudder at how easily the nickname rolls off of his tongue, but it wasn’t special or reserved only for you. He called Eddie ‘darling’ or ‘dear’ too, along with a few of your classmates who wanted to work their way into his good graces.

Another tick for the friends category, instead of the lovers one.

Volt helps you assemble the circuit, according to the manual in front of you. Despite the constant teasing from Volt, the two of you actually manage to work through the lab in record time.

Eddie’s better with this stuff than you and Volt combined, but you think that you did alright with the knowledge that you have. A bit of pride swells in your chest when your instructor tells you that you did a good job, and you’re excited when they flip the switch into the on position in order to test your creation.

The light at the end of the circuit should’ve gone on, if everything was done correctly, but of course you did it wrong. You always did things wrong. Instead of the lightbulb lighting up, blue sparks fly into the air and nearly kiss your nose before disappearing.

You scream, completely terrified of getting electrocuted, and your teacher is quick to turn the circuit off as every pair of eyes in the room turns to you.

Snickers and giggles bounce around the walls of the classroom before your instructor silences your peers, and tears begin to blur your vision as you put your head down in shame. Volt’s quick to wrap his arm around your side, and you accept his touch by burying your head in his chest.

“I’m sorry, Volt, I totally messed everything up.” You sniffle as he plays with a strand of your hair.

“It’s quite alright, dear. No one’s perfect on their first try - not even someone as wonderful as you are.”

His words still make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, even if he’s just trying to get a reaction from you.

“Thanks.”

You pull your head away from Volt’s chest, and he smiles down at you as his fingers wipe the tears from your eyes.

“You certainly know how to draw attention to yourself, don’t you, spark?”

“Spark?” You tilt your head at him.

Volt hums, a mischievous smile on his face, until you realize that it was definitely your fault that the circuit failed, which meant that you were never going to live this down. Especially when Volt told Eddie about what happened.

You pout and crinkle your nose at Volt before another person joins you at your table.

“Are you two trying to set the school on fire?” Eddie jokes before his attention turns solely to you. “You didn’t get shocked, right?”

He reaches for your hands, and you allow him to inspect them for injuries. Your face grows warm when Eddie doesn’t let go of you.

“They’re fine, Eddie. It was nothing that our spark couldn’t handle.” Volt interrupts the tender moment, causing Eddie to blush as he realizes that you’re still holding hands.

He doesn’t let go of your hands. You don’t want him to let go. So you both stay like that.

“Spark, huh?” Eddie raises an eyebrow at the nickname, and he smiles in amusement when you sneer at the nickname, “Cute.”

You feel like you’re going to overheat as their teasing is solely focused on you.

“I made one mistake-” You huff, trying to pretend like you’re not enjoying this.

“-What, would you rather have him call you ‘live wire’?” Eddie lays into you, just a bit, and you stick your tongue out at him in response, “Very mature, spark.”

“Live wire?” Volt lets the name roll off of his tongue, and he chuckles to himself, “I quite like that.”

You gasp when Volt grabs the bottom of your chin and forces you to look him in the eyes.

“How would you feel about being our live wire?”

Yeah, these two are going to be the fucking death of you.

Chapter Text

“I can’t come over tonight,” You sound disappointed as you speak, “my parents are making me go over to my neighbors’ house. Something about me ‘needing to make more friends’ or whatever.”

You exaggerate the air quotes as you speak, which, at least, earns you a chuckle from Eddie.

“You're canceling on us again?” Eddie lightly knocks his shoulder against yours as you roll your eyes.

“No, it's my parents. We got into an argument about-”

You cut yourself off. You're already pissed at your parents, and you don't need Eddie and Volt trying to jump in and rescue you.

Especially since the argument with your family was about them.

“Those boys are nothing but trouble, sweetheart. I see the way they look at you.”

“You don't know shit about them, or me, for that matter. Where was all of this concern when I was getting bullied by my classmates?”

“We never knew-”

“You know you fucking did. No kid comes home crying from school every day because of seasonal allergies.”

“Do NOT raise your voice at your-”

“What are you going to do, kick me out? You know exactly where I'm going to go if you push me away.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Does it need to be?”

“You're going to go over to Teddy's house, and you're going to be nice to that boy. End. Of. Story.”

“-Nothing. It was stupid.” You shift uncomfortably in your seat as you pick at the food on your lunch tray.

You're not exactly dying to eat at the moment.

“I'm offended that your parents don't think we're good enough company for you,” Volt places his hand over his heart in a theatrical fashion, “I thought we were quite charming when we came over to your house.”

“It was probably my fault.” Eddie mumbles under his breath before you and Volt scoff at the notion, like it's the worst thing that you ever heard.

“Nonsense, darling, it was probably just bad timing!” Volt waves off Eddie’s worries with his words, but you have a different approach in mind.

You set your fork down before carefully wrapping your arms around Eddie.

“Spark-” The fight dies in his throat as your head lays against his chest.

You focus on the intense pounding of his heart, and you try to use its rhythm to help calm yours.

“They're just worried about me. Try not to take it too hard, okay?” You run your hands up and down Eddie's back, and you swear that you feel his body heat up.

The two of you sit in contemplative silence until Eddie finally places a soothing hand on your back.

“Thank you, live wire.” He whispers into your ear.

“You're welcome,” You sigh in contentment, “I really needed this.”

Eddie lets out something akin to a snort.

“I could tell.”

Before Volt has a chance to declare his annoyance about not being included, you offer him one of your arms. He quickly grabs your hand before wrapping his other arm around you and Eddie.

“I wish we could stay like this forever.” You say to no one in particular, but Eddie and Volt both hear you.

You miss the knowing look that they share before their attention turns fully back to you. Neither of them dare to move until the bell rings, and even then, they find difficulty in letting you go.

~

Your skin is on fire.

Your skin is on fire and you want to tear this uncomfortable, god-forsaken outfit off of your fucking body.

But you can't, because you're not at home. You're sitting around an unfamiliar table with an unfamiliar family on your left, and yours on your right.

You occasionally chat with Teddy as your parents and his talk amongst themselves. He's a nice boy, the boy your parents probably want you to date, marry, and have kids with, but he's not who you want.

You want Eddie, who brushed your hair out of your face when you vomited after trying whiskey for the first time. It was one of the few times that he didn't let some smart-ass comment slip out of his mouth; instead, he was genuinely concerned for your well-being. You remember how perfectly his hands fit on your waist, and how they lingered there for hours, not wanting to let you go until he was positive that you were going to be alright.

You want Volt, who has made it his personal mission to get you anything and everything you've ever wanted. Outfits, jewelry, fragrances, flowers, and so much more was all yours - on his dime, of course! You didn't ask where he got the money from - sometimes you were scared to ask, considering that you've never even met Volt's parents. (Or Eddie's, for that matter. They're always out of town. Strange.)

You want Volt and Eddie. You want to spend every evening as you do right now - doing homework, throwing jabs and teasing remarks at each other, and talking about anything and everything until your parents called and were wondering where the hell you were at three in the morning.

Your favorite nights, however, were when you binged-watched scary movies with them. Every time, you found yourself nestled between Eddie and Volt, and you'd never complain about that position. Not when Eddie rests his hands on your thigh while Volt not-so-subtly yawns before wrapping an arm around your shoulder. It was fun to laugh at the stupid decisions that all of the protagonists made, and to theorize on what moves you'd make so you were never caught at the scene of the murder.

…Funny, isn't it?

But you can't spend the rest of your life with them. Graduation is a few months away, and soon enough, you'll be torn away from your boys to go to some stuffy university with people who you honestly don't give a fuck about. Who needs other friends when you have all you need with those two?

Eddie and Volt were destined to walk the same path. You were destined to walk alone, it seemed.

“How would you feel about Teddy taking your kid to the prom?” Teddy's mom says, and it completely ruins your train of thought.

Please don't say yes. Please don't say yes. For fuck’s sake-

“I think that would be perfect.” One of your parents chimes in before they start making plans for photos and dinner on prom night.

Fuck me.

~

Eddie looks surprised before he cuts you off mid-rant.

“A date?”

“I know, right? I told them that I didn’t want to go to prom, that the three of us had plans that night, but they wouldn’t hear me out,” You fold your arms under your chest before sighing, “it’s so fucking unfair.”

“Live wire, forgive me for being bold, but,” Volt pauses before his eyebrows knit together, “do you have to go out with…”

“Teddy,” You fill-in-the-blank for Volt, “and yes, I do. My parents said they’d kick me out if I didn't go.”

“That seems extreme, even for them.” Eddie shrugs before reaching for your hand.

You allow him to take yours, and you relax when his fingers intertwine with yours.

“I think they’re bluffing, but I don’t want to find out if they're not.” Your face sours as you grapple with the possibility of being thrown out by your family, your flesh and blood.

You could figure it out, you know you would, but it would be hard. You’d have to find a job, some shelter, some source of food, and you’d still need to graduate in order to find a half-decent job in the future.

I'd purposefully be making my life harder, and for what? Eddie and Volt would take me in, but I don't want to be a freeloader. That would just make me feel worse. Besides, they’re going to leave me behind in a few months. Just like everyone else already has.

It's better to be the show pony, to shut up and obey for a night, then stir the pot even more.

Everyone says that life gets better in your university years. I sure fucking hope they're right.

A groan leaves your lips as you finally take a bite of your food.

“It's not like he's a bad guy, he's just…”

Not the one you want.

Tell them. Tell them the truth.

Volt's eyes shine as he leans in towards you.

“Just?” He pries, and, like always, some sliver of the truth slips out.

“Not my type.” You mutter under your breath.

The air around you becomes charged, like you've said something that should've stayed hidden in your subconscious. A teasing smile slips onto Volt's face, and you realize that you're a mouse caught in a lion's den when you look over at Eddie and see that he's smirking.

Oh fuck…

You never really talked about crushes or romance or that sort of thing with those two - it hadn't come up, so you just let it be. But you have a feeling that you're going to be questioned to death until they get the answers they want.

Your saving grace comes in the form of a school bell, and you quickly pull your hand out of Eddie's grasp before standing up.

“Live wire-” There's a bit of pain in Volt's eyes as he speaks, and it makes your heart hurt as you walk away from them.

“I'll text you guys later. See ya!” With a quick wave to Eddie and Volt, you run off with a heavy flush on your face.

~

Your face hurts from smiling so much.

It wasn't the good kind of smiling - the smiles you shared with Eddie and Volt after they made you laugh so hard that you nearly choked on water. Or the lovesick smile you gave Volt as he dipped you in time to the music, with you hoping that you'd maybe, just maybe, tempt him into kissing you. Or the tiny smiles that you and Eddie would both wear as you shared a flask of whiskey after Volt passed out on the couch from having a bit too much to drink.

No, this was a “please fucking put me out of my misery” smile that you were giving the photographer.

They didn't seem to notice, and they only encouraged your parents’ cooing as they gestured for you and Teddy to sit closer to each other.

“We don't have to-” He says, but you shake your head before roughly forcing his arm around your shoulders.

“I'll never hear the end of it from my family if I don't do this.” You curse under your breath before the photographer raises their camera again, “But if I make you uncomfortable, let me know.”

“Got it.”

That's about all of the chatter that you share with your date as the photography session wraps for the night. Then you have to get ready for the dance, and you nearly scream as you see your reflection in the mirror.

Sure, this person has your face, your eyes, your body… but they're not you. You're not this dolled-up version of yourself with your hair styled perfectly and your body draped in some tacky, expensive outfit that you would wear for five hours and then never touch again. You look good, but this is not you.

This is your parents’ version of you - the kid they always wanted but never got. Every part of your current appearance was modeled to fit their tastes, and it shows when they shower you in excessive praise that you've never once heard from them before.

You simply smile, even though it feels like your face is going to fall off, as you try to ignore the buzzing of your phone in your pocket. Whenever your parents were looking away, you snuck a few texts to Eddie and Volt to alert them of your current predicament.

There’s only so much comfort that they can offer through a screen, and it's not enough to make you feel any better as you walk out to the limo parked outside of your house.

It's a quiet ride to the venue, and you don't say much to your date. You do notice the way that Teddy occasionally frowns when he looks at his phone, and when you ask him about it, he simply dismisses you with a nervous smile.

Whatever it is, it's clearly bothering him.

You keep your mouth clamped shut as Teddy helps you out of the car and escorts you inside of the venue. Plenty of eyes look your way, but it's nothing you aren't used to.

I'm the freak show that everyone has spent their lives laughing at. It's only natural for them to stare.

You feel naked without your boys’ presence. Eddie and Volt had insisted on not coming, despite your begging, and they simply told you that they'd call you afterwards to see how things went.

Way to feed me to the wolves, you two.

It seems like your peers notice their absence as they whisper amongst themselves while pointing at you.

I just hope that they leave me alone for tonight. I can take the rumors and the staring and the pointing, but I don't want anyone to confront me.

You feel like a cow being led to slaughter as Teddy escorts you to your table. A few tables away, a friend of his gestures for him to come over to them. He offers them a quick nod before dropping his voice low so only you can hear.

“Whatever you do, do not go over to the refreshments table.”

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

But he's gone before you have the chance to inquire any further.

You're a terrible listener - always have been, always will be. You don't listen to your parents when they tell you not to hang out with Eddie and Volt anymore, you don't listen to your teachers when they tell you to stay out of everyone's way so they don't have to fill out any more incident reports, and you certainly don't listen to Teddy as your stomach growls and your throat becomes scratchy.

It can't be that bad, can it?

You have no idea what's in store for you as you slide out of your seat to grab a drink. Everyone seems to be dancing and having fun, so why can't you indulge for a bit?

You see that there's some sort of red punch sitting on the refreshments table, so you grab a glass in order to pour yourself some.

Something's wrong.

It's almost like you have a sixth sense for this stuff. Your eyes go upwards, and they widen as a bucket tied to the ceiling tips over.

You're soaked before you have a chance to react. Luckily, the metal bucket doesn't hit you, but instead, it hits the floor with a loud clanging sound that drives everyone's eyes your way.

You hear your peers’ boisterous laughter before a chaperone intervenes and gives them the reaming of a lifetime. Another parent comes over and tries to grab your hands, but they hesitate as they realize what substance coats your body.

But you're not there yet. You're still in shock, still trying to process the needless cruelty of the people you grew up with. You should've known that this would happen, you should've tried to fight your parents more-

You go to wipe whatever the fuck is on your face with your hands, but you stop as your hands go into your line of sight. Your whole body begins to tremble as a scream rips out of your throat.

It's blood. Thick, red, hot, sticky blood.

And you're covered in it.

Chapter Text

It’s not human blood, at least.

You’re positive that it isn’t, despite the horrified looks that the chaperones in the room are shooting you. Pig’s blood? A remote possibility, depending on if the farm kids played a hand in this prank or not.

There’s only one way to confirm if you’re actually soaked in blood, or punch, or some other thick, wet shit that’s weighing you down. You bring one of your fingers to your lips, and you carefully taste some of the substance.

Corn syrup and red food coloring. Just as Billy Loomis said.

You need to get out of here. Now.

Fuck your parents. Fuck your peers. Fuck all of the people who made your life a living hell for the past seventeen years.

You’re done pretending. Done playing “the good kid”. It’s time that you took control of your own fucking life for once.

You can feel the phones being pointed in your direction as your shaky form stumbles towards the nearest exit. But you’re unstable on feet, due to the corn syrup covering your shoes, and you slam against the floor with a loud bang!

You’re determined, and your body is in pure fight-or-flight mode, so you pull yourself off of the floor, despite your body’s protest. Some parent comes over to check on you, but you wave them off.

“I’m gonna go home and take a shower.” You say with a tight-lipped smile before carefully walking towards the exit.

A hand reaches out and catches your arm before you can leave.

Teddy.

“Please don’t tell your parents-” He starts as your eyes narrow.

“Did you know?”

“I thought they were joking-”

“Did. You. Fucking. Know.”

Every word that falls from your lips is a pointed accusation, and he doesn’t even have to reply to you. The guilt that falls over his features is enough of an answer for you.

You laugh bitterly as your sanity is hung by a mere thread.

“I should’ve known this was a set up.” You continue to laugh like you’re mad, because you are. “Don’t worry about me telling my parents. I won’t be talking to them after tonight.”

With that, you shake his hand off of your body and make your way out of the building.

~

The sky must notice the sorrow that consumes you, and it weeps with large water droplets that fall onto your skin.

Of course it’s fucking raining! Why wouldn’t it be?

You pray that the rain will dissolve the corn syrup by the time you get to your destination. You don’t want to explain the events of tonight or your utter humiliation to another person.

If I could, I’d take this to the grave.

You’re going home.

But home isn’t home. Not anymore.

It takes you a while to find a familiar street, but when you do, the path to Eddie’s house is clear in your mind. You’ve walked this road a hundred or a thousand times before.

But not like this. Never like this.

Your thoughts come in sporadic spurts as you continue to walk alone, in the dark, in the middle of a fucking rainstorm. Your mind gives you a hundred different fantasies to entertain yourself with as your feet carry you back to the one and only place you’ve truly felt safe at.

I’m going to my new home, if they’ll have me there.

In some of these fantasies, you’re the one watching this all go down. You’re holding the phone, laughing and holding on to some nameless friend, as one of your worst bullies takes a bloody baptism instead of you. Maybe you’re the one pushing them aside in the middle of the hallway, blocking their way with textbooks, or “accidentally” pushing them down a flight of stairs and claiming that you had nothing to do with it while they scream and writhe in pain.

You still have bruises from that one.

But it’s not enough to satisfy your need, your craving for righteous revenge. You dig deeper to find something that’ll make you better.

Your fists meet flesh, repeatedly, in a smackdown for the ages. You aren’t giving the competition a chance to harm you - if you’re going to fight, then you’re going to play dirty. All of that anger pours out of your system as you beat down on this blank face that’s caused you so much pain.

But who is it?

It’s a variety of people - sometimes it’s one of your peers, and sometimes it’s a negligent teacher or coach who lets things slip by on purpose or by accident. The faces blur together into one person that you’re more than happy to keep hounding on.

It’s still not enough.

A knife appears in your hand when you reach into the depths, into the darkest parts of your consciousness. It feels so natural, so right in your grasp.

And you know exactly where you’d like to stick it.

You stab them in the chest, right through the heart, so they finally feel the pain that you’ve carried all of these years. You smile warmly as you watch the light leave their eyes. Blood dribbles from the corner of mouth, and fuck, does it feel good to watch another person die.

What is one cut compared to the thousands that litter your skin? Every mean word, every cruel action has marred and destroyed you. Why not bring some of that destruction to them?

You raise the knife above your head before sticking it back in their chest. If the first stab felt good, then you felt nearly euphoric after watching their blood splatter all over you and your instrument of death.

So you stab them again. And again. And again. And again.

Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six…

You stop counting after a while. You only watch the flow of blood, the way their chest raises up and down with each stabbing motion. For a moment, it almost looks like they’re breathing.

But they’re not. You know they’re not, and that’s the best part.

“Live wire?”

When did I get to Eddie’s house? When did I knock on his door, and when did he answer?

“Eddie?”

You blink once, then twice as your torture fantasy fades away from your eyes. Your gaze finds Eddie’s, who looks at you in abject horror after he takes your appearance in.

“What the fuck?” His hand grabs your wrist, and he pulls you inside before you can say another word. “What happened?”

You're numb and still reeling from the violence in your thoughts - did you really want to end your tormentors so violently?

You shiver as a resounding yes echoes in your mind.

The door slams shut behind you as you face a very pissed-off Eddison Watts. You've seen the man mildly annoyed at your antics and Volt's shenanigans. Hell, you've seen him get angry at your classmates for poking and prodding at you. But this? This is a whole new level of do-not-fuck-with-me that you're not eager to explore.

The ice in his gaze has melted, and there's a wildfire behind his eyes. A raging wildfire that'd destroy anything in its path.

That monster only comes out when you or Volt get hurt. It's baring its teeth right now, but it'll go away soon enough. Only to be unleashed on another day, on another unsuspecting person.

But not you. Never you. Eddie's touch is still tender and dear, like you're the most valuable thing in the world to him. His hand reaches for your face, but you pull back from him before he can make contact.

“You don't want to touch me.”

Nobody does.

“Don't tell me what I want.” Eddie shoots back before his voice softens. “Live wire, please-”

“Darling, who was at the door?” Volt's voice enters the hallway before he does, “I thought we agreed that we were going to wait until-”

Volt stops in his tracks the moment his eyes land on you.

“Spark?” He looks like he's seen a ghost, the way his body trembles and shakes.

You know it's not from fear, though. He's upset, quite upset, and it shows in the pain that lingers in his eyes.

He, too, tries to grab your hands, to comfort you, but you won't let him.

“Why weren't you there?” Your words shatter own your heart, along with theirs, “Do you not want to be seen with me anymore?”

“No, my dear, of course not-”

“Am I a monster?”

The question you've been asking yourself for years finally slips out of your mouth.

It's the only plausible reason for you to suffer the way you have - you're a repulsive monster, through and through. You might not have scales covering your skin, or teeth for eyes, but you feel like you do when your classmates gawk at you. That's why you only have two friends, and eventually, they would turn away from you too.

You disgust yourself. You're not worthy of love - how could you possibly begin to imagine that two people, as perfect as Eddie and Volt are, would be into you? Even this idealized version of yourself, the one in your daydreams that was happily in a relationship with your boys, was flawed and cracked and awful-

“Is that what you think you are?” Eddie dares to ask.

The silence between the three of you is deafening, in a place where you're all so chatty with one another.

You don't move - neither do they.

Slowly, your head nods without your permission. You can't even look at them to see the heartbreak and misery - your heartbreak and misery - echoed in their expressions.

You've been strong for so long, but the armor has to crack at one time or another.

Sobs wreck your body as you fall forward, and you expect to hit cold tile when your body slams against the floor. It'd be cool against your body, at least.

But you're caught by Eddie and Volt, their hands cradling your body as they gently bring you to your knees. Volt, too, drops to his knees before pulling you against him.

“You are not a monster,” Volt buries his head in your shoulder, “and I'm horrified that you think so poorly of yourself. My dear, you are wonderful and kind - so much kinder than you should be, if I'm being quite honest."

“We’ve got you,” Eddie whispers as he lays a hand on your back, “we won't let anyone hurt you. Not anymore.”

Their words are sweet and comforting, despite how much your mind wants to refuse it - to refuse them.

But you're so tired of fighting an uphill battle. You have two friends who are, very clearly, going to stick by your side for a little while longer, so why not share the burden?

Tears stream down your face as you allow yourself to curl into Volt’s embrace.

“You're safe with us, live wire. We'll protect you from whatever, whoever,” Volt sneers at the mysterious entity who did such a horrendous thing to you, “we need to.”

The three of you stay like that for as long as you need. The tears feel heavy, intense, and endless as they blur your vision and perception.

But, just like rainfall, they slow and eventually stop.

When you’re sniffling rather than sobbing, you’re wordlessly carried to the bathroom. Eddie nor Volt leave your side as they fill the sink and gather two washcloths from a nearby cabinet. Your clothes are quickly discarded, leaving you in nothing but your (thankfully, unscathed) undergarments.

With a bit of warm water and careful attention, the dyed corn syrup is easily cleaned off of your skin. Eddie works to clean your legs and feet while Volt pays special attention to your arms, neck, and face.

It’s a rather intimate moment for “friends”, don’t you think?

Both of your boys are devoted to the cause, not leaving a single cell of your skin untouched as they work to undo the physical and emotional damage done tonight.

You lock eyes with Eddie after he finishes cleaning off one of your legs. While Volt’s distracted with an especially sticky spot on your cheek, Eddie gently wraps his hand around your ankle before bringing your leg to his lips.

Your breath catches in your throat as Eddie, with his eyes still on you, places the briefest, sweetest kiss on your lower calf. He blushes right afterwards, turning his head away from you, but his hand stays put on your ankle.

Don’t tell me what I want.

…Was he referring to me?

“Eddie,” You say his name in reverence as your hand comes to rest against his cheek, “Don’t look away from me.”

You feel the heat rise against Eddie’s cheek as you tilt his head back towards you, and your heart races at the softness in his eyes.

“He’s only like this for you.” Volt admires Eddie for a moment before returning his attention to you.

Volt isn’t a man to be outdone - he has a reputation to uphold, after all. So, after he finally removes the corn syrup from your cheek, he attacks your cheek with a few wet kisses that finally make you crack a smile.

“Volt, stop it!” You playfully smack his shoulder before Volt leads a trail of kisses down your neck.

Your head is subtly turned to the side so Eddie can see the look of pure happiness on your face.

“Cute, spark,” Eddie chuckles before running his hand up and down your leg, “fuck it.”

Like Volt, Eddie worships the lower-half of your body with kiss after kiss, but his kisses are sloppier and messier than Volt’s. Eddie and Volt work to cover every inch of your skin in kisses so you won’t soon forget their appreciation of you.

Your smile quickly transforms into a sappy grin, and you find yourself laughing merrily, alongside your boys, just like you would on any other night. You don’t want this moment to end, for their touches and kisses to leave you without the promise of them returning, but it must.

Volt’s the first to let you go, and his dazzling smile nearly blinds you as he rests his forehead against yours.

“Absolutely breathtaking, my dear.” One last peck is given to your cheek before Volt stands and leaves the room, “Let’s get you dressed for bed.”

Your happy expression is quickly traded in for a playful pout that has Eddie folding the moment he sees it on your face.

“C’mere.” Eddie tosses the rag in his hands to the side in order to hold you in his arms.

Although it’s fun to be the center of their world, you would like to give them something back for being oh-so-sweet to you.

So, as soon as you rest comfortably in Eddie’s embrace, you turn your head so you can kiss him on the cheek.

Eddie turns a shade redder than he already was, and his face immediately finds a home in the crook of your neck.

“Knock it off.” He whispers against your skin, and his voice has goosebumps running all over your body.

You don’t listen - you’re a terrible listener - so you kiss him again. This time, your lips land closer to his mouth, which results in him biting down on your shoulder.

“Eddie!” You yelp as he laughs.

You’re not used to the carefree laughter that’s coming from him right now. You’re well-acquainted with the dry chuckles and small snorts that he usually gives you, but there’s something beautiful about the sound that’s echoing around the bathroom.

You’d bottle the sound of Eddie’s laughter and drown yourself in it every night, if you could.

Volt returns, with affection dripping from his gaze, as he looks at you and Eddie.

“Aren't you two quite the sight?” Volt gives you a tiger-like grin before dodging the washcloth that Eddie chucks at his head. “Come now, dearest, that's no way to act around our live wire.”

Volt, ever-the-gentleman, offers you his hand so you can stand up. A small pink blush appears on his face as he dresses you in a mixture of his and Eddie's clothing.

He then leads you to the main bedroom, and you're swept into Volt's arms as you lay in bed. Your hand wraps around his back as you shift closer to him. There's nothing but love, tender love in his eyes as he stares at you.

“Can you tell us what happened, spark?” Volt tries to coax the answer out of you by kissing the bridge of your nose.

You feel the bed shift next to you, alerting you of Eddie's presence, but you choose to stay silent until Eddie's hands rub soothing circles into your back.

It takes you a while to find your words, but when you do, you spill your guts to them. It's a raw, unedited version of the events of tonight - from the moment you first started taking pictures with Teddy to the second before you knocked on their door. Occasionally, a few tears slip out, but they're quickly wiped away. You chose to leave the whole murder-fantasy thing out, since that's probably the opposite of what a healthy, normal person would do in this scenario.

By the time you're done weaving your tale of sorrow, a yawn escapes your lips. The bed is so unbelievably soft and tempting, not to mention the fact that both Eddie and Volt seem to be encouraging you to sleep with their touches.

Your eyelids fight to stay open, but it's a losing battle. One that you don't mind losing, if it means that you get to sleep between them for a night.

“Goodnight, live wire. We'll be here in the morning.” Volt reassures you before kissing your temple.

“You're gonna be fine. We'll make sure of it.” Eddie adds before you drift off to sleep.

Unbeknownst to you, the moment you're deep in slumber, Eddie and Volt slip out of bed.

When they said they'd do anything for you, little wire, they meant it.

Chapter Text

“Eddie? Volt?”

The bed’s less comfortable without their presence. As you rub the sleep away from your eyes, you glance around the room, looking for a hint on where they’ve gone.

Why did they leave me alone? Was I too much last night? Did things go too far?

You notice that the bedroom door is ajar, so you slip out of bed before peeking your head out of the doorway.

I can’t undo what happened. There was a line - no, there were many lines that were crossed and blurred last night. How could we possibly go back to being just friends after that?

There’s still no signs of life in the hallway that leads to the kitchen and dining room, so your feet slide against the floor as you make your way to the kitchen. If you can’t find them, then you can, at a minimum, find something to settle your growling stomach.

Are we friends? Are we more? Are they trying to fuck with my feelings?

You expect to find the rest of the house empty, but your eyes widen at the sight of Eddie fixing himself some sort of quick breakfast over the stove. He doesn’t see you, and you’re thankful for that, because you have no idea what to do next.

Do I kiss him? Do I tease him? Do I try to slip past and pretend like nothing happened?

You can’t do that. You can’t pretend like you don’t feel how you feel for your boys. So, you muster any remaining courage left in your body before you approach Eddie.

You let yourself do whatever feels natural, and, in this moment, it’s a sudden back hug. It’s given with a little too much enthusiasm, and Eddie nearly takes a header into the microwave above the stove. He lets out a soft ‘oof’ after your arms wrap around his middle.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Eddie teases before one of his hands rests on your arms.

His thumb strokes a patch of skin on your arm as you peek over his shoulder to look at the clock on the stove.

“Shit, it’s noon already?!?” You’re a bit alarmed by the realization that you’ve slept for at least twelve hours, but Eddie doesn’t seem to share your sentiment.

“You had a long night. We didn’t want to wake you.” He says it so casually, like you didn’t show up at his door at ten o’clock at night covered in a substance that looks like blood. “Hungry?”

You hum, choosing not to answer with words, and the two of you share a moment of blissful, domestic silence.

But it doesn’t last long, since someone always feels the need to announce his presence.

“Live wire!”

Volt’s enthusiasm about your appearance is infectious, and you find yourself sporting a grin just like his as he sweeps you into his arms. You miss the way Eddie chases after your touch when you let him go, but he stops when he sees that you’re safely wrapped in Volt’s arms.

“How did you sleep, my dear?” Volt asks.

“Very well, apparently.”

A bit too well, since I was gone to the world for twelve hours.

Volt kisses the top of your head. It’s another sore reminder that you don’t know what to make of his actions as you pull away from him.

“Good. I, rather, we have something that we’d like to…” Volt trails off as he realizes that your attention is no longer on him or Eddie.

Rather, you’re pulled towards the living room, where a TV displays a rather horrifying scene.

A Dance with Death: Two Local Teens Shot and Killed in Their Home After Prom! is the headline slapped on top of the screen. The reporter jabbers on about the details, but you don’t really care for the specifics.

Not when you recognize the home.

Or rather, the home next to the one on TV. It’s slightly out of frame, but you’d recognize that building anywhere.

That’s my parents’ house!

“Fuck.”

You brush past Eddie and Volt as you search for your phone in the kitchen before widening your search to the bedroom.

God, what if something happened to them?

You wonder if it’s hereditary to care for your parents in such a way, since they’ve never shown such care for you as their child.

Why should I check up on them? They sent me away with a boy who knew about last night before it happened!

Despite the bitterness rising up out of you, the ‘good, obedient kid’ habit is hard to break, so you scramble to call your parents when you find your phone on a nightstand.

Forty-three texts, thirty calls. God, they must think I’m dead.

You click the first name to pop up on your missed calls list, and your heart pounds as the phone rings.

“Sweetheart!”

One of your parents’ voices calls out from the other side of the line, and you sigh in relief.

“Are you alright? I just saw the news-”

“We’re fine. Where are you? We thought that whoever got those Teddy and his sister-” They choke on a sob before continuing on. “-but you’re safe, right?”

“I’m okay. I’m staying with,” You pause as the bedroom door opens, revealing a concerned Eddie and Volt, “a friend.”

There’s silence on the other end of the line. Your parents could be thinking about which friend you’re with, but they already know.

You can envision the look of disappointment on their face as they sigh into the phone.

“We heard about what those kids did to you, honey. If we knew that Teddy knew, we wouldn’t have-”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Of course we do! You’re our child-”

“-Not anymore.” You bite your lip as a stray tear threatens to fall down your face. “I haven’t been your kid in a long, long time. I’ll never be the kid you want.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m done living in your house. I’m done talking to you.” You whisper into the phone, like the words will break you.

Because they do.

“Wait, we can talk this out-”

“It’s better this way. I’ll come grab my stuff when things calm down.” A shaky breath escapes you as your finger hovers over the red button on your phone. “I’m sorry for being a fucking disappointment.”

“Hey, don’t-”

You hang up.

What the fuck did I just do?

And then everything comes crashing down on you.

Your phone is tossed to the side, in favor of you wrapping your arms around your sides. You want to disappear, to make yourself so small that you can’t be perceived by anyone else.

But Eddie and Volt won’t let you. No matter how much you try to fade away, to cast a shadow on your form, you shine so brightly to them. In a room of thousands, they’d pick you out in an instant.

Were you hand-selected, or did they just happen upon you? Does it even matter anymore? What’s in motion cannot be taken out of motion, after all.

“Spark,” Volt breaks the tense silence in the room, “you can stay with us.”

He seems ready to put the messy puzzle pieces of you back together, again and again, until you feel whole once more, but Eddie’s more hesitant. There’s more worry in how he perceives you, this version of you that is so vulnerable and raw and scared.

“Really?” You’re in disbelief as your hand comes to wipe up a few tears. “No, I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“I’m offering, not asking.” Eddie leans against the doorframe with his hands in his pocket.

You’d be tempted to tell him how handsome he looks if you weren’t a blubbering mess at the moment.

“Only until I figure things out.” You tentatively agree, but Volt frowns at your words.

“There’s no rush, darling. We would be delighted to have you, as long as you’ll have us.”

That almost sounds like a confession.

“Okay.”

It’s going to be okay. You know it’ll be okay as Volt grabs your hand before guiding you in-between him and Eddie. You’re effectively pinned between them, but there’s no place you’d rather be. You have them, and they have you. What else do you need?

~

You feel like an animal trapped in a cage, and you’re being gawked at by small children and elderly folks alike as you clean the posters off of the wall in your room.

Not your room. Not your house. Not your home. Not yours.

You can feel your parents’ eyeballs track your every moment. You don’t move quickly, as you want to take care of your things, but you aren’t exactly dragging the moment out.

It was nearly a week after prom night - your school had canceled classes this week, to help students mourn the deaths of their fellow classmates. You stayed over at Eddie’s house, with limited contact with your parents in order to establish a date and time for you to pick your stuff up.

That day and time was now upon you, and you didn’t know how to feel. You feel liberated that you’re finally free of your parents, and you thought they’d feel the same about you. They wouldn’t have a constant reminder of their failure in their house, or so you’d thought.

You, however, didn’t expect to walk in the house to see every single picture of yours turned over. Was it too painful to see you smiling because they knew it was fake, or was it simply painful to see you?

You don’t linger for friendly chatter. You don’t mince words. You pack your shit in boxes and you leave as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Because that’s what they wanted.

That’s what you wanted, right?

Eddie and Volt are there to help, thankfully, and they help to lift your spirits in an otherwise downright depressing scenario. They help take your boxes to the car, and they serve as a physical buffer between you and your parents, if anything were to occur.

It makes your skin crawl to see your family glare daggers at them, and it’s just another reminder that you’ve made the right decision. Your family was holding you back, and now you were free to do as you want.

But what do you want?

You hadn’t really considered the next steps after moving out from your parents’ house. It always seemed like a far-away fantasy - a thing you’d never achieve until university or beyond.

Here it was - freedom at your fingertips - and you were hesitating.

A supportive hand on your back helps you out the door with the last box. Volt’s there to guide your attention away from your family as the door shuts behind you for one final time.

A collective breath of relief is let out by the three of you as you sit in Eddie’s car. You’re drawn to the final box of your personal items that sits next to you, and you aren’t sure why, until you fish out a letter from a few months ago.

It’s an acceptance letter from your dream school, the place you wanted to go to college, but your parents strictly forbade it. Maybe it wasn’t affordable, or maybe it was too far away, or maybe they just wanted you to go to their school instead of letting you carve out your own path.

You want this. You want this badly. You want to go to this school with a clean slate so you can actually make friends and go to class and not hate being around most people your age.

But that’s not all you want. Your eyes go up, and you see Volt and Eddie looking at you with an expectant look.

You want them to come with you.

As much as you’d love to go your dream school, you couldn’t ask Eddie and Volt to uproot their lives and move there for you. You’d go to your local university, the one that your parents want to go to, if it meant that you could stay with them.

“Is that…” Eddie trails off as you reluctantly hand the letter up to them.

“Yeah, it is.”

You’re nervous about their reaction. You hid this for a reason because you know exactly what they’re going to say.

“Darling, that’s amazing!” Volt smiles at you, but his smile doesn’t fully stretch across his face, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

…There it is.

“I didn’t really want to go there at first.” You murmur before Eddie’s eyes narrow.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t…”

Here it is. You can finally express yourself, say what your heart has been dying to say for years-

“Want to leave you guys.”

I need you. I want you. I love you. Fuck, why is it so hard to say those things?

Maybe you’re scared of breaking the peace, of breaking whatever this delicate act is that the three of you have going on.

Maybe you’re scared of the path that ‘I love you’ leads you down.

And, funnily enough, you should be.

You seem to express yourself clearly enough to them because, for the first time in history, they sport matching blushes.

“Were you just going to take this to the grave?” Eddie’s half-joking, half-serious as he reaches his hand into the backseat of the car.

“Eddie, I… I thought you and Volt were going to leave me after you graduate.” You grab his hand with yours in order to provide yourself with a crumb of comfort.

“What?”

If Eddie were driving, he would’ve slammed on the brakes so he can fully twist his body towards you.

“Live wire, where the hell did you get that idea from?” He sounds angry, but you know that he’s probably more upset with himself for missing this.

“We will never leave you behind, spark.” Volt says before he climbs out of the passenger’s seat.

You scoot over to the middle seat while still holding onto Eddie’s hand. Volt slides in next to you, and his arm fits so perfectly around your shoulder.

“Wherever you go, we’ll follow.” Volt says, like it's so easy to ask this of them.

“But Volt-”

“But nothing, my dear.” Volt shushes you before Eddie squeezes your hand.

“Is this what you want?”

“Yeah, Eddie, but-”

“-then we’ll figure it out when we get there.” He hands you the acceptance letter so you can set it back into the box.

“Thank you. Both of you.” You tuck your head into Volt’s shoulder before Eddie finally drives off.

It might not be the best plan in the world, but it’s a start.

And that has to be good enough for now.

~

You nod off on the drive back to Eddie’s house, and neither of them realize that you’ve woken up as they pull into the driveway. They continue talking, like you’re not even there.

“Volt, what are we going to do when live wire figures it out?”

“They won’t, dear, we were quite careful with everything.”

“They’re not stupid.”

“I never said that, Eddie. What they don’t know can’t hurt them, right?”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You have a bad feeling about everything, my darling.”

You’re too tired to interpret their conversation, so you let Volt’s laughter draw you back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Twenty deaths.

Not counting Teddy and his sister, of course.

Twenty-two of your classmates are slaughtered by the time you make it to graduation.

And you can’t say that you’re too upset over it. It was almost… satisfying to know that some of your worst bullies - the ones who tormented you for years - were now rolling in their graves.

They can’t hurt you if they’re dead - that was the line of logic that you used to justify the smug feeling in your chest whenever you saw another notification on your phone, alerting you of yet another death.

You were worried, though, and how could you not be? You, Eddie, and Volt were three teenagers staying in a house all by yourselves - wouldn’t you be prime pickings for a rogue serial killer?

That isn’t the only thing that scares you, is it? It’s the excitement you feel after each kill. The envy you feel because you're not the killer.

Maybe it's the horror movies that you constantly watch. They're twisting and turning your thoughts - they're radicalizing you!

Or, at least, that's the excuse you hide behind.

~

“Live wire?”

Eddie and Volt share a similar look of confusion as you suddenly stand up and head towards the stairs.

“Sorry, I’m tired.” You lie right through your teeth as you place your hand on the railing.

You’re not tired, not even the slightest bit - but ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ was the next movie on your watchlist, and the thought of watching it right now made your stomach curdle.

While you did find some sickening glee in watching your classmates fall, one-by-one, you couldn’t help but worry about yourself and your boys.

But Eddie, dear Eddie, sees right through the mask you try to put up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” You fold your arms over your chest - a tell-tale sign to them that something is wrong.

“Darling, did something happen earlier when you went out? We-”

“-No, Volt, that was fine,” You quickly answer, but it’s not what you want to say, “I don’t know. I’m just worried about us.”

“Us?” Volt inquires further.

“What if they come after us next?”

You don’t have to mention who this ‘they’ is - Volt and Eddie already know who you’re referring to.

“You don’t have to worry about that.” Eddie says with a bit too much confidence for your liking.

“How do you know, Eddie? I know you learned to hunt with your dad, but could you really protect us from someone who shoots teenagers for sport?”

“Of course I can, spark,” Eddie, frankly, seems insulted by the notion that he can’t keep you and Volt safe, “we told you that we’d keep you safe.”

“Yeah, from high school bullies. Serial killers seem like an exception, don’t you think?” You’re snarkier than you mean to be, so you pull back a bit, “I… I’m scared.”

You weren’t exactly scared of some gun-slinging killer - no, your real fear was of yourself. Of your thoughts that started to stray after the murders became more frequent. They were hungry, merciless little things that tore into every bit of your psyche and poisoned the most innocent of moments. The violence you saw from the crime scenes was starting to not satisfy you anymore.

How long will you feel this way? Will you ever go back to being “normal”? Were you ever normal?

It must be your need for justice and to see yourself come out on top of the people who put you down. Even if “landing on top” translated to “surviving”, you’d take that as a win.

You can’t exactly tell your friends that you’re scared that, one day, you’re actually going to take a life with your own bare hands.

And you’re scared because you know that you’d enjoy it.

Volt’s hands, positioned perfectly on your waist, pull you from that dark corner of your mind.

“You have nothing to fear, live wire,” Volt’s hair brushes against the back of your neck as you feel yourself being sucked into his - into their - orbit, “we’ll keep you safe. We’ll always be here for you.”

Sometimes, you wonder if they can read your thoughts because they know just what to say in order to make you feel better.

Or maybe you share the same thoughts.

But that’s a ridiculous idea, and, honestly, absolutely terrifying.Your darkest thoughts being shared by Eddie and Volt, the two people who have been nothing but kind and sweet to you from the moment you met? It’s a twisted fantasy that’s better explored in your dreams and not in real life.

You let Volt take you back to the couch, where, to your surprise, Eddie reaches for you and pulls you into a hug. His head settles on your shoulder so he can whisper into your ear.

“I’ll teach you how to shoot, sometime,” Eddie’s face reddens at your close proximity, “if you want, or whatever-”

“I’d really like that,” You whisper back before pecking his cheek, “Thank you for offering.”

“You’re welcome.”

You tilt your head back before gesturing for Volt to come closer with your fingers. He complies, and you giggle when his hair tickles your cheek. His lips are right there, you could kiss him-

You’re too flustered by the idea of taking the next step in your relationship, so you settle for another kiss on the cheek for Volt. He responds with a kiss to your nose before he grabs your hands and smothers them in kisses.

“Volt!” You yell his name, but it’s not in protest.

You’re subject to another night of their endless affection, but you’re not going to complain.

You just wish every night could be like this.

After that night, the three of you began the process of moving out. You found a nice three-bedroom apartment right by your university, so your boys would be right there if you needed anything.

And you will need them.

You were buzzing with energy when it finally came time to move out, and your enthusiasm must’ve been contagious, because Eddie and Volt both wore small smiles as you excitedly talked about your future classes and plan of study on the way to your new home.

Your phone rang a few times, but you ignored it. It’s probably not important, anyways.

It was the last time your parents ever tried to contact you.

~

“Hey, I need another round of shots for one of my hightops.”

Your fingers drum against the bar top as you wait for the bartender to fulfill your order.

“What are they looking for?” Your co-worker asks as a small smile slips onto your face.

“They said, and I quote, ‘The strongest shit you've got.’”

You hear a snort from another bartender - your favorite bartender, which makes your heart skip a beat - before the man in front of you chuckles.

“I don't know what I expect from a bar in a college town.” He says before grabbing a bottle of vodka off of the shelf.

While he's turned around, a glass of water is slid in your direction.

“Drink.”

You roll your eyes at Eddie before complying.

“You worry too much.”

“You don't worry enough.” Eddie fires back.

To bring an end to his nagging before it even truly begins, you knock back half of the glass before sending it back his way.

“I’m fine, Eddie,” You give him a calming smile before gathering the shots from the other bartender, “it’s sweet of you to worry about me, though.”

You have to suppress some laughter when Eddie coughs and covers his hand with his mouth in order to hide the pink flush on his face.

It was a blessing to not only live with your best friends, but to also work with them. If you had a shitty customer who was being nasty to you, you could always just rant to Eddie as you were making your rounds. If someone was trying to get a little handsy with you, then Volt was right there, as one of the hosts on-duty, in order to set them straight. But it’s not like anyone would try anything with you since Eddie and Volt’s eyes were on you for the entirety of your shift.

A little more personal space would be nice, though.

This freedom that came with moving out was starting to feel a bit stifling after Eddie and Volt insisted on coming everywhere with you. You wanted to check out a new coffee shop by yourself? Too bad, they’re coming with you and paying for your drink as soon as they figured out where you were going. Hell, you could hardly take a walk inside of your apartment building without one of them checking in on you.

Beggars can’t be choosers - they’re probably just worried about you after that whole prom night fiasco. You can’t exactly blame them. You’d probably be the same way, if not worse, if something like that were to happen to Eddie or Volt. It was better to live with them than your parents.

Well, that’s what you told yourself.

Besides, it was a good idea to spend as much time together as possible before the semester started. You’d probably become a shut-in with the amount of homework and studying you’d have to do, and Eddie and Volt would be busy with their own lives as well. Eddie was going to a trade school a few days a week so he could become an electrician, and Volt was taking online classes at another university to figure out what exactly he wanted to do in life.

You’re still deep in your thoughts by the time you deliver the shots to the table, and you barely regard them with more than a nod before walking away.

It was hard to make new friends in a new place when you had Eddie and Volt by your side twenty-four seven, but you’d manage to.

A shame that they were too late to save you from yourself.

You look back to the bar as you move to your next table, and you see Eddie and Volt talking at the bar. Their attention turns to you, and your heart pounds as their gaze softens when they look at you; however, the affection in their eyes doesn’t stop you from feeling like you’re being inspected under a microscope.

It’s like they’re analyzing your every movement in order to judge your reaction to something. But what exactly are they looking for?

~

It was a welcome breath of fresh air to work an early shift instead of a closing one. You didn’t mind the late hours, but you were so relieved to finally have some alone time.

This would be the longest stretch of time that you’ve spent by yourself since you moved into the apartment a few weeks ago, and you couldn’t say that you weren’t a little bit excited.

You loved your boys to death, but you needed some space for your sanity.

You weren’t sure how you were going to spend these few precious hours - should you go out for a solo dinner? Take a walk on campus to find your classes? Actually try to meet people who live in this area?

Fumbling with the lock on your apartment door isn’t one of those options, and you’re praying that you don’t have to call Tony, the landlord’s son, again in order to fix it.

I really don’t want to be out here all night. I should quell my pride and give Tony a call.

“Need some help?”

Your head snaps up, and you see a pretty woman with long, flowing orange hair standing next to you.

“Yeah, that’d be great.” You step aside before she pulls a bobby pin from her hair.

The woman crouches down so she can be eye-level with the door, and she easily picks the lock in mere seconds.

“Whoa, where’d you learn to do that?” You politely ask as the door swings open.

“Tricks of the trade.” She winks at you before her eyes widen. “Shit, I should introduce myself! My name’s Beverly. I live next-door with my girlfriend, Kopi!”

You, in turn, introduce yourself.

Wait, I’ve seen her orange hair before. Doesn’t she-

“You work at the bar uptown, right?”

A smile breaks out on her face.

“Are you a regular?”

“No, I work there too. I usually work the closing shift-”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen you there before. You usually work with your boyfriends, right? What were their names again?”

Your face flushes at her assumption.

“Eddie and Volt, but we’re not-”

“Eddie and Volt.” Beverly interrupts you to slowly repeat their names back to you. “They’re nice guys. Haven’t worked more than a shift or two with them, but they never shut up about you.”

“They talk about me?” Your voice softens as you speak.

“Uh-huh.” Beverly nods before glancing at her own apartment door. “Well, I should stop bothering you, I’m sure you’re busy-”

“No, no, it’s alright. I was going to ask you if you’d like to come in. I can fix you dinner, as a thank you for helping me with the lock?”

You cringe as the words come out of your mouth. You’re not exactly sure how you make friends, but you’re sure that you’re being too forward.

“That’s not necessary. I’d rather help you out than have Tony accidentally rip out your door handle while trying to fix the lock.”

You chuckle at the thought.

“He’s done that before?”

“On more than one occasion." Beverly shakes her head, obviously remembering the blunders of the less-than-handy handyman.

Your arms swing at your side as an awkward silence settles over the two of you.

I totally fucked this up.

“Well, I’ll see you around, then?” You say before taking a step in your apartment.

“I’m sure you will. We’re neighbors, after all!”

Her warm smile is the last thing you see before you shut the door.

Maybe there’s a course in college on how to make new friends?

…who am I kidding. I’m never going to fit in, no matter where I go.

And how right you were.

Chapter Text

An eight-in-the-morning math class wasn’t your first choice. Or your second. Or your third. Or your fourth.

But, as fate would have it, here you are, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you wait for the professor to come in. Your classmates trickle in, one-by-one, but none of them dare to sit remotely close to you.

We’re not off to a great start, I see…

Not until you see two familiar faces walk through the door.

“Bev! Kopi!” You excitedly wave them down as the fatigue fades from your expression.

You ignore the weird stares that your classmates give you - god forbid you be excited about recognizing someone in an unfamiliar environment.

They wear matching, graceful smiles as they occupy two empty seats on your left.

“Hey,” Bev looks exhausted, even more so than you, as she reaches into her bookbag, “what’s got you in a good mood?”

“Can't I be excited to see you?” You’re sure that you’re wearing a stupid grin as you talk to your first real friends since you’ve moved here.

After your first encounter with Beverly, you were invited over for dinner, where you met Kopi, the sweet barista who worked at the coffee shop on campus.

They were the perfect couple - all smiles and giggles as affection flowed freely between them. Jealousy strikes your heart, but only because of the dynamic they have.

The dynamic you wish you had with Eddie and Volt.

To give earnestly and to share their feelings openly without any regrets or hesitations.

Must be fucking nice.

One dinner night became two, and soon enough, you were invited over for dinner at a bi-weekly rate. It was nice to share a bottle of wine with the two of them, to just talk about your lives and how they were going.

Unfortunately, you found yourself sharing more half-truths than you’d have liked to. Trauma-dumping on your new friends doesn’t exactly seem like the best idea. So you talk about your previous schooling like it was merely okay, instead of hell on Earth. You lie and say you have friends and family back home, but they’re all dead to you, in one way or another.

However, the truth flows right out of you when it comes to Eddie and Volt. You don’t, of course, mention their overbearingness. It was just a part of your friendship that you had come to accept. They accepted your flaws, so why not accept theirs?

It’s not just the protectiveness. Secrets lie buried among the three of you. It’s only a matter of time before you’re suffocated under the pile of dirt and bodies.

God, there’s so many bodies. And only more to come.

In a strange way, Kopi and Bev become your personal hype-women. They encourage you to tell them your feelings, but they aren’t too harsh on you when you chicken out for the seventeenth time.

Well, Bev teases you, but she’s quickly shushed by a pouting Kopi.

“It’s too early for that shit.” Beverly says, returning your focus to the present moment.

Kopi’s eyes widen before she playful pushes on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Be nice,” Kopi says before leaning over to talk with you, “excuse her. She’s grumpy because she has to work late-night shifts and then get up early in the morning for class.”

“I am not!” Bev yells, and she blushes when everyone’s eyes snap to her, “Besides, didn’t you say I looked hot when I was brooding?”

She wiggles her eyebrows, causing Kopi to laugh before she kisses Bev.

“I suppose I did.”

They share another kiss before the professor walks in the door. You’re thankful that class starts earlier than scheduled. You don’t know how much more of their sappiness you can take.

Especially when you can’t have that with your boys. Not yet, at least.

~

It’s Tuesday, thank God, which means that you can sleep in a little bit before your first class. You’re still out the door before Eddie and Volt wake from their slumber, but you don’t mind the tranquil silence as you eat breakfast and begin your day.

You do miss sharing a warm cup of something caffeinated with them as you all prepare for the day ahead of you, but that’s what the weekends were for, right?

Who are you kidding? You want them so badly that you think it might break you.

You long for their presence as you walk to school - to feel their arms around you, to laugh and smile and joke like you were kids.

You’re not kids anymore. The world’s a different place now that you’ve taken the rose-colored glasses off. You have responsibilities and work and assignments and priorities-

You’d throw it all away in a moment if it meant that they’d be yours. Forever yours.

An English class awaits your glum self, and you find yourself slumping into a seat near the door. You’re still deep in your thoughts, so you go to grab a sip from your water bottle.

Shit. I forgot to fill it this morning.

You sigh before reluctantly getting out of your seat, and you manage to prop the classroom door open before someone slams into you.

Great. Just great.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so, so sorry!” A warm, bubbly voice greets your ears before you look up at the girl who’s just run into you.

Soft brown hair frames her face perfectly, but it’s hardly the first thing you notice about her. It’s her outfit that strikes you the most.

It’s mainly because she looks like she just walked off of the set of Stranger Things.

“No, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I should’ve held the door open for you.” You gesture to the two iced coffees that she is holding in her hands.

“It's alright, I promise. …Here, you should take this! My friend, Bodhi, accidentally made me two, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with two coffees until I bumped into you!”

This girl thrusts one of the coffees into your hands, and you feel obliged to indulge in her kindness, for some reason.

“Thanks, uh…” You trail off, hoping she’ll give you her name.

“Zoey! Zoey Bennett.” Her smile is absolutely captivating, and you’re immediately comforted by her presence.

You introduce yourself, and as you continue to chat before class starts, you find that Zoey is rather easy to talk to.

Mostly because she talks and talks and talks, and you just listen. Her endless stream of chatter is a welcome reprieve to the messy, jumbled trainwreck that is your thoughts. Occasionally, you chime in with your own opinions, but you’re mostly content to just let her have the stage.

Your friendship extends beyond the classroom, and you end up meeting up with Zoey for lunch when you have the time to. Plus, she’s a great study buddy.

And it’s not just because she brings two iced coffees to every session - one for you, one for her.

~

You don’t need the extra credit that badly.

You try to convince yourself of this as you stand in front of a rather intimidating door, but the war waged in your mind is over before it really has a chance to begin.

Grade insurance is a hell of a drug, isn’t it?

Your English professor offered a generous amount of extra credit for anyone who joined a club and stuck with it for the semester, and who were you to deny such an offer? Zoey was already involved in an eighties-throwback club - what a shocker - but you wanted to do something that was more your speed.

Nerdier. You wanted to do something way nerdier.

With a deep breath, you push open the door, only to be greeted by three people.

I don’t know what I was expecting from my school’s GnG club, but it certainly wasn’t… this.

“Ho there, traveler!”

A hooded, cloaked figure sits in the middle, but the cadence of his voice sounds awfully familiar.

Isn’t he in my philosophy lecture?

A groan emanates from the black-haired girl on his left who puts her head in her hands the moment the phrase leaves his lips.

On his right, a man with very colorful hair that almost reminds you of Monopoly money grins at you. Under his scrutinizing gaze, you feel like a tiny fish who’s just been spotted by a great white shark.

“...What did you just call me?” You’re in disbelief at the words that leave the cloaked figure.

“No! Ho, as in hey… howdy… how are you, you know?”

“Oh!” You feel your face heat up at the misunderstanding, “Uh… good day to you, sir.”

“That’s the spirit.” Excitedly, the man pulls the cloak off of his body, and you know his name before he even says it. “I’m Chance. Welcome to the TTA!”

“TTA?”

“The Tabletop Alliance,” The girl in the group answers your question before sighing, “also known as the school’s resident G&G club.”

“We didn’t agree to that name, because the rules for student organizations state that two-thirds of the club has to agree before any major decisions are made-” The colorful-haired man feels the need to start an argument for some reason, and Chance is all too-happy to argue back.

“I’m the president of the club-”

“-which does not make you an ultimate authority, and Penelope and I could oust you, according to page six of the code of-”

“Please ignore Parker.” The girl - Penelope - says before waving you in. “He’s fine as long as you don’t bring up anything about rules. Which is hard, because in his mind, everything has rules.”

“I think I should go…” You try to backpedal towards the door, but to your surprise, all eyes in the room immediately snap to you.

“No, please don’t go,” Chance says before quietly muttering under his breath, “if we have four members, then we can actually get some funding for costumes and props.”

“We love new members!” Parker’s mood does a one-eighty as he jumps out of his seat to drag you inside of the classroom. “Unfortunately, we never have any new members-”

“-Wonder why that is.” Chance rolls his eyes as you take a seat between Parker and Penelope.

“One night. Three hours. Then you can leave.” Parker continues on like he never even heard Chance.

Am I being held hostage right now?

Eh, fuck it, I’m already here.

To your surprise, the chaotic antics of Penelope, Parker, and Chance compliment the one-shot that Chance guides you through. They’re unpredictable yet downright hilarious at times, and you find yourself in stitches by the end of the night.

“Come and see us again?” Chance asks with a pleading look in his eye. “We’ll walk you through character creation next time so we start a new campaign for the year.”

“It’s fun to have someone else around here,” Penelope’s voice drops to a whisper before she speaks again, “someone who doesn’t argue with Chance about every little thing.”

The two of you snicker as you weigh the options in your mind.

I have an excuse to leave my apartment for a few hours a week, and I can assure Eddie and Volt that I’m going to be fine because I’ll be on-campus the whole time.

Sounds good to me!

“I’ll see you next week, then.”

The whole party breaks out into cheers, and you find yourself grinning from ear-to-ear as you make your way back to the apartment.

~

A few years from now… post-university.

An accidental text message set the whole thing off. You weren’t supposed to know that your friends didn’t want you around. Well, not you in particular, but your partners. But they couldn’t say that because you would get very, very upset.

Still, the message ends up on your phone. In tears, you show Eddie and Volt. The people you thought you could trust had thrown you to the side, just as everyone else already had.

You were right. Your darkest thoughts were always right. Your lovers were the only ones you could trust. A bond infused with blood and darkness. They were the only ones who’d keep your heart and mind safe. You don’t know why you ever doubted them before.

So, you schemed. One night, one rental house, one party.

And a lot of murder. Bodies on bodies. All those friends you had made in college would be slaughtered on Hallow’s Eve.

You loved every minute of it.

~ & ~

Two weeks fly by before you could blink. Perhaps this is what school was supposed to feel like - a celebration of your youth with your peers while you create memories that would last a lifetime.

Eddie and Volt share in your excitement, and they ask you questions about your new friends. Just simple, normal things, like “What are their majors?” “Where do they live?” “What hobbies do they have?” “What dorm building are they in, exactly?” “Do you share any classes?” “What’s the exact room number and floor that they live on?”

You’re not quite sure how relevant that last question is, but you answer to the best of your abilities.

You feel like you’re finally building a normal life, where you have normal friends and a decent job and you love your roommates!

In every sense of the word ‘love’.

But not for long, little spark, you’ll bring it all crashing down. Unintentionally, at first, before you feed into those thoughts of yours on purpose. Thoughts become impulses, and impulses become who you are. Who you’ve always been.

A killer.

Maybe your enthusiasm is causing you to remain awake into the early hours of the night. Your brain is repeating your latest G&G session in your head, or your latest chatty lunch session with Zoey, or the night you spent gossiping with Beverly and Kopi.

&

But that’s not the case tonight. You’re wide-awake because you can hear your next-door neighbors fucking.

“Beverly!”

It’s almost pornographic the way Kopi moans her girlfriend’s name. You hope she’s getting the best head of her life; otherwise, there’s no reason to be that loud at one in the fucking morning.

As always, your thoughts wander, but they don’t immediately turn violent. Kopi’s moans become your own as you writhe under the touch of one of your boys. You’re constantly switching between the two, and you’re giving yourself whiplash as you can practically hear both of them talking dirty to you, despite the fact that only one of them is there with you. They’re telling you everything your heart has been waiting to hear, from confessions of love to praises of your body to downright scandalous things that you wouldn’t even share with your diary.

“Mmmm, Kopi…”

And there goes that fantasy.

It’s another reminder that your boys aren’t the ones touching you, as your hand lingers over your clothed sex. You groan before bringing a pillow over your head. You’ll either suffocate yourself with it, or you’ll finally block them out.

“Bev, baby…”

Suffocation it is.

&

In your head, you’re suffocating one of your neighbors with a pillow, hearing them beg and plead for their lives as they take their final breaths. But it’s not enough to hear that gasp of air, and that damn knife just appears in your hand again so you can claim your kill with your hands. You keep stabbing and stabbing and stabbing, and once the overkill becomes a bit overkill by your standards, you’re out of bed so you can get a cold glass of water and calm down.

You’re not surprised when you see a figure stand in the kitchen area of your apartment. Eddie was a night owl, and he often couldn’t sleep at night for one reason or another. So you’d share a drink and sit in silence until you fell asleep with your head on his shoulder.

What does surprise you is that it’s not Eddie in the kitchen.

“Volt?” Your voice is plagued with fatigue as you speak. “Why are you up so late?”

He seems rather startled by your appearance, apparently deep in thought before you made yourself known, but he gives you a tired yet warm smile that makes you feel all gooey inside.

“I could ask you the same thing, live wire.”

“I… couldn’t sleep.”

Again, you hide your innermost, deepest self from them. The part you’re ashamed of.

It won’t be hiding for much longer.

“It seems we’re one in the same, then,” Volt places his hand on the kitchen counter, palm-up, and you’re quick to place your hand in his, “what occupies your mind, my dear?”

“A lot.” You murmur as Volt brings your hand up to his lips and gently kisses it.

You wonder if he’s as confused by his actions as you are. Does he see this as friendly, or is it a way to show his love for you?

You find yourself falling back into the same-old routine as Volt guides you to the couch. He wraps a blanket around the two of you, and you’re quick to cuddle into his side.

“I don’t suppose you’re in the mood to chat?” Volt asks as his free hand lingers over the TV remote.

“Are you?”

“Only if you wish to.”

Always respectful, always the gentleman of the room - that’s your Volt.

But sometimes, you wish he’d push the envelope and just take what he wants. If what he wanted was you, of course.

Then you remember that you have autonomy. You have limbs, hands, feet, and a semi-coherent brain.

And horrifically violent thoughts, don’t forget about those!

“I would, actually…” You twist your body around so you can face him, “Volt, I…”

The words die on your tongue, like they do every time. What thing could you possibly hope to confess to him? The confusing, jumbled, chaotic mess that is your mind? Your unresolved feelings that have been lingering for years? Some other bullshit that you’ll just make up on the spot?

You’re so confused, so conflicted-

You don’t know what compels you to shift closer to him so you’re nearly in his lap. You don’t know why you lean in and let your eyes flicker to his lips.

Fuck, you don’t know why you kiss him.

Wait, you’re kissing him?

You’re. Kissing. Volt.

You are, you really are, like it’s out of some cheesy rom-com movie that the two of you would watch while Eddie was out.

…Holy shit.

Do NOT fuck this up.

Chapter Text

“-And then I kissed him, Zoey!”

Her eyes widen as she takes a sip of her iced coffee.

“On the lips?”

“No, on the cheek,” You scoff before you roll your eyes, “of course it was on the lips! That’s why I’m freaking out!”

“It couldn’t have been that bad.”

Zoey reaches out, her hand being placed on yours as a friendly, reassuring gesture, before you continue to rant.

“That’s what I thought, but then-”

Your lips part from his as you are smacked with the realization of what you just did. You feel your limbs fly into the air as you try to get away from Volt because you’ve totally just fucked up your friendship and any future hopes of something more-

“Spark, please.”

Your body freezes at the desperation and neediness in his voice. You’ve never heard Volt beg before - he’s too proud of a man to do such a thing - but it sounds like he’s about to drop to his knees and plead with you.

To stay or to go? His hand isn’t tightly wrapped around your wrist, so you could easily escape.

You don’t want to run from this - from them - anymore. It’s time to finally face your feelings and get this over with. No matter how much it hurts you to do so.

“Volt, I’m sorry.”

The apology spills from your lips before he’s given another chance to speak. You don’t even want to look at him as he pulls you into his arms, but he places his hand on your chin and tilts your head up.

Your eyes meet his, whether you like it or not.

“Do you think that I don’t want you?” Volt says as a pained expression appears on his face. “Have you convinced yourself that you’re unworthy of me, of us?”

It feels like a trap - you know it’s probably a trap - but you nod anyway.

“Live wire, there is not a thing in the world that I want more than you. I’m quite enamored by you, if I am to be truly honest,” Volt blushes before he continues, “You have bewitched me with your mind, your body, and your soul.”

You have got to be dreaming. There’s no way he’s saying the things you’ve dreamed of him saying. You pinch your thigh, and you feel a small pain where you pinched your skin.

Oh God. This is actually happening.

Volt frowns at your lack of response.

“If you refuse to acknowledge yourself as the radiant being that you are,” A mischievous smile appears on his face , “then it’s up to me to show you how captivating you are.”

“Volt-” You find your words, but they’re snatched from your throat when Volt leans in and kisses you.

He’s much more confident than you are as he pours his passion into the kiss. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted from him and so, so much more.

The blanket curled around the two of you is thrown to the side as Volt pulls you into his lap. You yelp when you’re given a chance to breathe, and he chuckles as his hands come to rest on your hips.

“How adorable,” He comments before giving you a sweet peck on the lips, “you’re starstruck. As I am, my dear.”

You’re dazed by the flurry of kisses that you receive from Volt, each more romantic than the last. He’s drowning you in his love and affection, and you’re not sure how much better this night can get-

“Volt, live wire’s not in their-”

Your head snaps back to look at Eddie, who’s suddenly stumbled upon you and Volt.

Uh-oh.

“And Eddie?” Penelope finds the time to comment on your love life in-between trigonometry problems, “Tell me that you kissed him, too!”

“Oh, they definitely did more than kissing,” Beverly teases, “with the way he looks at you? I’d be surprised if he didn’t just take you then and there-”

“You’re joking, Beverly.” You deadpan as she laughs.

“You seriously have never noticed how Eddie eye-fucks you from across the bar?” Beverly stops and studies your blank expression for a second. “Dear God, you’re hopeless.”

“Bev, be quiet,” Kopi, in her Roofbucks uniform, shushes her girlfriend, “it took you a year to confess to me.”

“At least I was trying to!” Beverly says before throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

It’s quite the merry band of fellows that you have gathered here. To be honest, you weren’t really looking when you made the group chat - you just knew that Beverly and Kopi had to know the newest update between you, Eddie, and Volt. Zoey had known bits and pieces of your relationship with your boys since you chatted about your roommates here and there, but she was about to know a lot more after today. And there was Penelope - sweet Penelope - who had no idea about your dumpsterfire of a romantic life but needed an excuse to get out of another study session with Chance and Parker.

You named the group chat, quite fittingly, EMERGENCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! before sending the first text.

Big E&V news. Very big. May or may not have kissed one of them… or both. We need to talk. Now.

A record-breaking one-hundred texts were sent in three minutes, and the five of you agreed to meet at Kopi’s workplace so she could listen to your tale during her lunch break.

“Whatever you say,” Kopi affectionately smooches Beverly’s cheek before she turns to you, “What happened next?”

“Right. After Eddie found us, I…”

Volt willingly lets you go to Eddie, and you carefully wrap your arms around Eddie’s neck. He refuses to look at you, and his gaze stays trained on the floor, even after you sweetly call out his name.

“Go to Volt.” He sounds rough and harsher than you’re used to.

He’s trying to push you away.

You won’t let him. If you have to lay your heart out, then so does he.

“Eddie-”

“You want Volt, not me.”

“Don’t tell me what I want.”

A smirk appears on your face as you use his words against him, from a conversation that feels like it’s from a lifetime ago.

Eddie makes a soft ‘tsk’ sound as he shakes his head. Slowly, his gaze settles on you, and you shiver as his hands hover over your body.

You want him to touch you. Badly. Very, very badly.

“You don’t get to take this back, y’know.” Eddie tries to make light of the situation as he cracks a small smile.

“Why would I want to? Are you a bad kisser?”

Your warm laughter bounces around the room as Eddie’s face heats up. He recovers a lot quicker than you expect him to, and he finally places his hands on your sides before pulling him close to him.

“You want to find out?”

His voice is rich and velvety, in a much lower octave that makes you feel a lot of different ways. Some of which you’d like to explore in a more… sensual setting.

“That sounds like a dare, Eddie,” You have got to be wearing the stupidest smile ever because he knows you so well, “and you know I don’t turn down a dare.”

You surge forward before your lips land on his, and it’s so relieving to taste the whiskey on his breath instead of fantasizing about what it might be like. It’s a messier kiss, and it displays how much longing and yearning the two of you have done over the years.

He’s everything, he’s all-encompassing, he’s-

“Perfect,” Your voice is barely audible as you play with a bit of Eddie’s bed-head, “You both are.”

“We aim to please.” Volt gives you that all-too-familiar saccharine smile, the one that always makes you melt. “Is this everything you dreamed of?”

“And more.”

You’re as giddy as a young child who finally got their crush to look their way. You have your boys’ attention in exactly the way you want it.

Volt comes around to your side, and his lips easily connect with your neck as his hands squeeze your shoulders.

“Volt.”

His name is said like a prayer off your lips, but you might as well be his god with the way he’s worshipping you. Every touch is feather-light but intentional, every kiss given to please and satisfy. He treats you like you’re fragile but capable of mending yourself back together. You don’t need him, but Volt needs you. He needs this high you give him with just your body and your willingness to give in to his desires.

You can’t forget about Eddie, though. He’s quick to seize your lips once more as his hands slip under your pajama top. He doesn’t venture too far up or down - his touch lingers around your stomach and hips. You can still taste the liquor on his lips, but there’s the faintest touch of cigarette smoke in there. You’re high and drunk off of him without consuming anything, and he’d be lying through his teeth if he said that he didn’t feel the same. You were an addictive drug, his favorite one, and he couldn’t quit you. Not now, not ever.

It’s a perfect moment, one that should never end as you tilt your head back so you can kiss Volt again-

You yawn.

The atmosphere in the room changes from amorous to amiable. They both immediately back off of you, and you find yourself desperately reaching out for their touch.

You’ve wanted this for so, so long, and you’re not going to let your poorly-timed fatigue ruin this for you.

Volt and Eddie chuckle in amusement as another yawn escapes your lips.

“You need rest, darling,” Volt plays with a strand of your hair before he guides you towards your bedroom, “We’ll talk about this in the morning.”

You don’t want to wait until morning. You have them both right now - they’re here with you, in the present moment. You’re more than friends, and you can’t go back to what you had before. Not after tonight.

“I’m not tired-”

A third yawn is the nail in the coffin as Eddie grabs one of your hands and helps you into your bed.

“Go to sleep. We’ll still be here when you wake up.”

You’re carefully tucked under the covers by Volt, and if you weren’t so damn tired, you’d invite them both into bed with you. Sleep quickly comes to claim you, but you feel Eddie and Volt kiss your cheek before you’re out cold.

…It’s morning. It’s light outside. You don’t expect them to be in your room, so you walk out to the living room.

Not a person to be seen.

You walk to the kitchen, where you’re greeted by the sight of your favorite drink and pastry from the coffee shop down the street.

There’s a note attached to the cup.

Live wire,

Something came up. We’ll talk when you get home. Hopefully this makes up for our absence.

Love,

E & V.

“Love?” Beverly grins before she playful remarks, “Took them long enough.”

“What made you wait so long, Bev?” Kopi sets a cup of coffee in front of you before her girlfriend defends herself.

“I was nervous, okay?”

“And I thought that was sweet.” Kopi gives her girlfriend an affectionate smile before turning back to you. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, I’m just…”

The self-sabotage comes so easily - you can make a hundred-and-one excuses on why last night wasn’t what you thought it was - but how could it not be?

They love you. You love them. What else do you need?

“Nervous?” You play with the strap of your schoolbag as you talk, “I mean, I’ve dreamed about this for years, but I’m not sure what to do next.”

“You go home and you tell them that you love them too?” Penelope’s still deep in her math homework, but she stops when four pairs of eyes land on her. “Oh, was I not supposed to say that out loud?”

Why did I think this was a good idea?

“I need a drink.” You groan before Zoey gasps.

She only gasps like that when she has an idea.

And that idea usually involves dragging me somewhere.

“We should go out! One of Bodhi’s friends is hosting a big back-to-school party tonight, and he promised me that there would be plenty of alcohol.”

“Zoey, that was a figure of speech. I’m going to go home and-”

You’re dragged out of the café by your arm before you can blink. You throw the three other girls an apologetic wave before Zoey can take you back to her dorm.

I’m not getting out of this, am I?

So you’re going to a party. Maybe it’ll be fun - you’ve never been to a party before.

Besides, one beer never killed anyone, right?

Alcohol doesn’t kill people.

You do.

Chapter Text

~ & ~

The party sucks.

The alcohol is cheap, you’re shoulder-to-shoulder with the people next to you, and you nearly tripped up the stairs as you tried to walk in the house.

God, you’d break your neck if you fell down those stairs!

Still, you sip on the beer that comes straight out of the keg. It’s kind of flat, but you’re willing to drown your feelings in it.

You miss Eddie and Volt.

You miss Eddie and Volt.

You’ve tried to walk out of this party a handful of times, but Zoey drags you back in, or you get lost in the sea of people and the front door disappears from your line of sight.

It seems destiny is trying to keep you apart from your boys.

Do you resist, or do you comply? Does a singular different action change what you’re about to do, or would you have done it anyway?

Zoey’s left your side, and you haven’t seen her around for a while, so you try to make another daring escape. This time, you slip into a different room in the house instead of the foyer, and you’re stunned by the pure amount of unadulterated lust you stumble into.

&

It’s not like anyone’s having sex in public, but they might as well be with the amount of hands that slip up shirts and down pants. People are paired off in groups of two or three with lips meeting skin repeatedly. Every spare surface in the room has someone placed against or bent over it.

You’d be mesmerized if you weren’t so fucking jealous.

I have to leave. I can’t be here with all of these people. I need-

You turn on your heel, but you slam into a person before you can make your exit.

“Shit, I’m sorry-” You’re quick to force out an apology.

“It’s fine,” He looks you up and down, as if he’s trying to figure out all of your secrets with one glance, “you’re in my math class, right?”

The guy you’ve bumped into is handsome, sure, but he’s not Eddie or Volt.

You scrunch your eyebrows as you observe his features.

“So you’re the curve-ruiner!” You scoff before you fold your arms. “The professor wasn’t very subtle when he was talking about who got a hundred on the first quiz.”

“Guilty as charged,” He laughs softly, “so, did you come alone?”

“Nah, my friend Zoey dragged me here. I was mainly looking for some free booze.” You answer earnestly.

“Is that all you’re looking for?”

Is he flirting with me?

Oh.

Oh.

You giggle nervously, unsure of what to say. You aren’t particularly attracted to this guy - your heart is already captured by Volt and Eddie - but you do like the attention he’s giving you.

A placeholder. That’s all he is. A blank mannequin for you to decorate as you please.

And you know exactly who you’re going to pretend this guy is as you kiss and touch him.

“Maybe.”

You bite your tongue as his eyes go down to your lips. The world around you slows down as you pin him to the wall and hungrily nibble on his lower lip. Your classmate whines, but you quickly swallow his sounds with your mouth.

This guy must think that you’re really into him, with the way you’re forcefully grabbing at his clothes, but he’s not even a fleeting thought in your mind.

Because, in your head, the moment you taste the beer on his lips, your mind makes it whiskey. You’re back in your apartment with a much different scene in mind.

“Eddie!”

You're not able to get out more than a cry of his name before he kisses you again. A movie is playing on the TV, but neither of you are paying attention to the plot.

It's just kiss after kiss after kiss until you're both gasping for air.

The whole time, he's kneading the flesh on your hips, causing you to whine into his mouth.

“You're awfully handsy tonight.” You pant as your hands come to rest on his chest.

“I missed you.” Eddie quietly says, and the confession has your heart racing more than the physical affection.

“We live together, Eddie-”

“-that doesn't change how I feel.”

“Aww, Eddie, you almost sound-” You go to tease him, but you're quickly silenced when he guides your shoulders into the couch cushions.

You're laying flat against the couch before Eddie grabs your arms and puts them over your head. You shoot him a confused look until he tugs at the hem of your shirt.

“Yes.” You softly answer before your shirt is quickly discarded.

He's on top of you before you can blink, and your lips are once again claimed by him.

But Eddie doesn't stop there. A trail of wet, messy kisses are placed on your face, your neck, your chest-

He smirks at you once he's halfway down your abdomen.

Oh, you quite like where this is headed.

You shiver as his hands run down your sides, and you're left gasping and moaning as Eddie kisses down your body, further and further until-

You're out of breath.

You pull away from this random guy, and he lets out a breathy laugh.

It'd be attractive if it was from Eddie or Volt.

“Gods, you're beautiful.”

Now he sounds like Volt.

Perfect.

You kiss him with more vigor, and you're pulled back into your fantasies once more.

In the back of Eddie’s car, on your lunch break, isn’t the romantic moment in the world, but Volt somehow makes it work.

“You, my darling, are glorious.” He whispers against the skin of your shoulder blade.

“Oh, Volt…” Your hand grabs onto his hair, and the white locks are so easy to tug on.

“Impatient, are we?”

“Aren’t you the one who dragged me out to the car?” You scrunch your nose as Volt chuckles.

The sound travels down your spine, causing your back to arch.

“How could I not? You looked quite ravishing, in that outfit of yours…” Volt pulls on the clothing that he hasn’t stripped from your body.

“I wore a black t-shirt and cargo pants, Volt. I’d hardly call that ravishing.” You roll your eyes at Volt’s praise, but you quickly suck in a breath when Volt runs his fingers down your naked back.

“You make everything look good, live wire.”

Oh, he’s trying to rile you up because you can see his reflection in the car window, and he’s grinning like he’s already won.

Fine, Volt. Two can play that game.

“It sounds like you only like me when I’m fully-clothed.”

In a dangerous move that seems rather unlike you, you place his hand on your bare chest. And, as expected, his fingers come alive on your skin. It doesn’t seem like Volt can decide where he wants to settle his hands, so he chooses to trace small patterns all over your body.

“When did I ever say such a thing?”

When you look back into the car window, you can see the pink on Volt’s face. God, he looks so hot when he doesn’t know what to say next.

“Volt?” You ask as you lean your head back in order to properly meet his eyes.

“Spark?” There’s nothing but the urge to please in his eyes.

“Take me. However you want.”

And he does. Repeatedly.

Luckily, the windows are fogged up, but your hand runs against the glass, smearing the moisture and allowing any passerbys just the smallest glimpse into your world of pleasure.

&

This guy, your not-Eddie, not-Volt replacement for the night, pushes you away. You don’t realize that you’re gasping for air until you’re the one pinned against the wall.

You’re already gone before his mouth meets yours. Instead of a wall in an unfamiliar house, you’re laying in your bed, and Eddie and Volt are at your side.

“Stop it!”

It’d be taken seriously in any other situation, but your boys know that you don’t want them to stop. Not when you burst into laughter right after they take turns kissing you on the lips.

Volt cups your cheek, and the warmth that pools in his eyes makes you feel so safe.

“Live wire.” He affectionately serenades you with the nickname he latched onto all of those years ago.

“Volt.” You must sound like a lovesick fool with how sappy his name sounds from your lips.

He leans in and kisses you before tilting your head towards Eddie. You don’t even have to flutter your eyelids or give him a sad frown or pretend to pout. He’s already willing to give you what you want without you asking for it.

Eddie’s lips graze yours, and you whine before you close the distance between the two of you. He chuckles into your mouth, and it’s the only time in your life that you wished that you could choke on sound.

For once, the three of you are content to lay in silence. They’re admiring you like you’re the Mona Lisa, and in their eyes, you are. You’re their favorite painting, rich in color and depth and details. There’s so much that can be seen from the surface, but you also have parts hidden deep beneath your skin that are worth a second glance. You’re an enigma, a pretty thing wrapped in a veil of mystery and intrigue that has them coming back for more.

“We love you.” Volt suddenly says, which makes your heartbeat pound in your eardrums.

“I love-”

Wait.

They’ve never said that they loved you before.

…Shit.

What the fuck are you doing?

You’re sticking your tongue down some random guy’s throat as a fucked-up way to get the affection you’re craving from Eddie and Volt. You’re painting their attributes onto him, like they’ll suddenly appear and take you away from this mess.

That’s what you’re doing.

…You’re spiraling.

You have been for a long time, little spark, haven’t you noticed?

Prom night might’ve been the catalyst, but you’ve always been on the edge of something darker. You threw rocks at birds for fun as a kid, so you could watch them hit the ground and die.

Your favorite part was hearing their necks snap - don’t you remember?

Dissection was your favorite unit in your biology class. You distinctly remember the sound of Volt retching in the background as you poked at a frog’s brain just to see if its body would move.

It did, sometimes, but not in the way you liked. There was something so… disappointing about seeing a dead thing, and not knowing how it died.

It was just animals for the longest time, that’s all it was… until you walked away from prom. Then you began stabbing people in your dreams instead of neighborhood pets.

Which was so much more enjoyable!

Knives and schoolyard bullies were your main fixation at the time. In your mind, it was deserved. You were fueled by the violence you saw on the television, from the actual murders that took place, and how could you not be?

Justified violence. The path to hell is paved with good intentions, my dear.

The move from your hometown to a new place caused a shift in your thoughts. Suddenly, it wasn’t bullies or assholes on the receiving end of your knife - it was a stranger you saw at a coffee shop, some guy at the bar who was looking your way, or one of your classmates who happened to breathe too loud.

Annoyances at best, forgettable at worst. Murder is a dish best served to everyone!

Then it wasn’t just strangers anymore. It was Beverly and Kopi every time they made a loud ruckus that interrupted your sleep, or Zoey who was droning on and on about something you didn’t care about, or Chance, Parker, and Penelope getting into a needless argument that prevented your bloodthirsty barbarian from getting their next kill.

You’re almost there, darling, just a little further-

You wanted blood. You wanted to spill it, to shower in it, to taste it on your lips. You craved violence. You wanted to mercilessly snap limbs and stab until your heart was content.

You can pretend to hide behind friends, classes, alcohol, and work. You can tell yourself that you want a normal life.

But you don’t want that at all, do you?

You want endless amounts of bloodshed, and you want your boys.

The question is: Which one do you want more?

You wouldn’t have to choose between the two.

You forcefully push this imposter, this creature that deserves nothing more from you, off of your body. He doesn’t deserve another ounce of attention when your mind is already split into two parts.

Do you want Eddie and Volt, or do you want to kill?

It should be an easy answer. Your mind thirsts for the kill, but your heart is desperate for the love of your roommates. The heart is a fickle thing, and it easily wins over your violent thoughts. You’d bury this bloody hatchet and do whatever it takes to keep yourself in your boys’ life.

You hear the guy you were kissing earlier talk to you, but his voice is so distant that you don’t hear a word that he says. Right now, you want to go back to your apartment and figure out where you stand with Volt and Eddie.

You finally figure out how to leave this godforsaken house, and you take a few deep breaths as the cool night air wraps around your body. The porch isn’t exactly the most welcoming part of the house, but you make do as you pull out your phone.

There has to be at least a hundred missed phone calls and text messages from your roommates that span over the last few hours.

Shit, I must’ve worried them sick! I don’t know where I’m at, so I should call Eddie to tell him that I’m safe and that he can come pick me up.

A hand is laid on your shoulder.

“Hey, are you alright?”

You know that voice, but it doesn’t sound like him. Not with the way he’s touching you.

You’re back in the schoolyard again. Kids are pushing and pulling you around.

You’re older but trapped in a smaller body. You know the horrible things these kids will do, and how they go unpunished by a system that’s designed to protect the bullies instead of the bullied.

So, in a dog-eat-dog world, you do what you must.

You push back.

But you’re not a kid anymore. You’re not trapped on that schoolyard.

You just pushed the guy that you were making out with, no less than five minutes ago, down the stairwell that leads into the house.

His neck cracks the moment his head hits the ground, and blood begins to leak everywhere.

This was it. Your first kill.

So why did it feel so unsatisfying?

He’s there, lifeless and very-much-so dead.

…Which is bad, because you have no idea how to dispose of a body.

You’re not sure that you could lift him into the nearby bushes, and you don’t know how long you’ve got until someone stumbles upon this scene.

With your phone still in your hand, you manage to work up a few tears in your eyes as you dial what you think is the emergency phone number. You can put up an act that you’re vulnerable and scared about what others might think when the opposite is true.

The phone only rings once before the person on the other line picks up.

“Live wire!”

Fuck.

“Eddie?”

It’s not an act anymore as real terror strikes your heart.

If your boys didn’t think you were a monster before, they’re certainly going to think you’re one now.

“Where have you been? Volt and I have been worried-”

Your breathing becomes heavy and labored, so much so that Eddie picks up on it.

“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

The sternness in his voice has completely faded, replaced with a softer affection that worries for you.

It's a gesture that you feel completely undeserving of as you stare at the pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Did something happen, darling?”

Volt’s voice now comes through on the phone - you must be on speaker.

“I… I did something. Something really bad.”

“Spark, it can’t be that bad-”

“I killed someone.”

The other line goes silent.

Chapter Text

Centuries must pass before you get an answer from Eddie or Volt.

You're unsure of what they could say to make you feel better because there isn't a word in the dictionary that makes this all go away.

It was all fun and games when it was corn syrup and red food dye that they were cleaning off of your hands. This isn't fake blood anymore. They can't clean your sins with washcloths and warm kisses.

This shit will follow you for the rest of your fucking life.

Yet, you can't help but stare at the mess you've made. Blood continues to drip out of his skull like a leaky faucet, and you swear that bits of his brain float in the river of his blood. His neck is at an obtuse angle, and his eyes are blown wide in permanent surprise.

“Where are you, my darling?”

It's Volt.

God, it's always been Volt.

Volt, who lifted you onto his shoulders so you could get a better angle when you were throwing rocks at birds. Volt, who happily let you dissect animals in your biology class because he claimed he couldn't handle them. Volt, who let you pick the horror movie and watched your reaction to the gory parts rather closely.

Is he as fucked-up as you are? Are they both?

“I… I don't know. I'm not that far from campus, though.”

“It's alright, live wire. Can you tell me what you see around you?”

With a shaky voice, you describe the scenery around you. You're in a semi-wooded area with a house across the street, and a house a few hundred yards to the left. It's a quiet neighborhood, minus the booming music that's coming from the house behind you.

Eddie and Volt murmur back and forth as they’re trying to figure out where you are.

“Darling, is it that neighborhood that we drove a few weeks ago, when we-”

“-yes.” Eddie abruptly answers. “It's only ten minutes away.”

“I'll grab our coats. Do you need one, spark?”

It is a bit chilly outside.

“Yeah.”

“We'll be right there, I promise.”

You hear Volt walk away, and your heart drops as you realize that it's just you and Eddie talking.

“I-” You start, but Eddie cuts you off.

“Go back inside.”

“What?”

“You don't need to see this.”

You're tempted to ask what he's trying to shield you from, but he could just as easily turn this into an interrogation of you.

What am I supposed to say to him? Hey, my lingering feelings for you and Volt caused me to make-out with a random guy, but in my head, I made him out to be the two of you because I missed you that fucking badly. When I finally broke through my delusions, I pushed him down some stairs because I thought he was a school bully. Love you, bye!

Yeah, that ought to go over well.

You decide that you both can keep your secrets, for now.

“Okay. Will you come get me when you're done?”

“Always.”

You wait in silence until Volt comes back into the room.

“I'll be in the house when you two are done.”

The adrenaline coursing through your bones causes you to speak directly from the heart.

“I love you two.”

Then you hang up.

You're numb as you stumble back into the house. People barely regard your presence, but that’s perfectly fine.

To them, it's just another day. To you, it'd be the beginning of the end. A chemical high that'd you chase for a long time. A slippery slope you'd fall down.

But you wouldn't be alone.

“Hey!” Zoey seems so happy as she approaches you.

She doesn’t know. Nobody knows. Keep it that way.

“You look like you've seen a ghost.”

I looked death in the eyes, and I liked it.

“I, uh…” Your mind scrambles for a topic besides death, murder, and blood. “I made out with a guy.”

Why'd you choose that one?

“What?!?!” Zoey grabs your arm before bouncing back and forth on her feet. “What happened?”

“I don't know. I wasn’t thinking,” You sound so weak, so pathetic, “I miss them, Zoey.”

“Was he cute, at least?”

He looked better dead.

“He wasn't Eddie or Volt.” You frown.

“You need a drink.”

Zoey grabs your hand, and she leads you to the keg that's situated in the middle of the living room.

Cheap beer still tastes bad in a red solo cup, but you can at least pretend like you're a normal college student and not one who's just made a very fatal error.

Zoey talks about something, some topic that helps to ease your mind. You're worried about hearing a shriek come from the front door, or red and blue lights illuminating the house, but it all fades away as the night passes along.

No one's entering, no one's leaving. It's almost the perfect crime.

Would've been better if you killed him with your bare hands.

A tap on your shoulder nearly sends you flying into the person next to you.

“Hey, your boyfriend is here,” They say, “but I think I've had too much to drink. I swear there's two of them at the door, and I must be hearing shit too because one of them sounds British.”

Time's up! Face your fears head-on, or suffocate under the weight of everything you've done.

“Thanks,” You say before turning to Zoey, “I'll talk to you on Tuesday. I have to go clean up this mess I made.”

Literally and figuratively.

“Wait, you're not going to introduce me to the Eddie and Volt?”

That throws a wrench into things.

“It's late, and I don't want to bother them-”

“-I won't be a bother! One quick introduction, and then I'm gone.”

Zoey links arms with you as the two of you make your way to the foyer.

A march towards the gallows. A dance with a deadly destiny.

“Hi guys!” Zoey excitedly waves as you do your best to hide behind a nearby wall.

“Ah, you must be Zoey!” Volt's charming smile disarms you immediately.

Always has, always will.

Zoey giggles as Volt kisses her hand.

“You must be the handsome Volt I’ve heard so much about. They talk about you both all of the time!” Zoey gushes to Volt, who glances behind her to look for you.

“Do they, now?” Volt’s smile transforms into an impish grin. “I assure you that we’re just as captivated by our live wire.”

“Live wire? That’s a… unique name.”

“Poor thing nearly got shocked when we were younger-”

“That’s not what happened.” You grumble before making your appearance.

Volt immediately drops Zoey’s hand in favor of reaching out for yours. You want to take his hand, but you don’t feel deserving of it.

Not after your little stunt tonight.

“Darling,” Volt’s voice drips with affection that makes you sick to your stomach, “I remember things quite differently. The sparks terrified you, and I had to hold you until-”

“Volt!” You blush from embarrassment - you’ve never told Zoey this story before, and you don’t exactly want to tell it to her right now. “Don’t-”

You’re silenced when two arms wrap around your middle, pulling you into a tight back hug.

“Eddie.” You hum before resting your hand over one of his arms.

“Hey.” His voice is deep and calming, and it silences the monstrous, murderous thoughts in your mind.

For now.

“Eddie?” Zoey looks thoroughly confused, and you can’t quite blame her.

You’ve probably painted a much different version of Eddie than what she’s seeing right now. You've told many stories of Eddie's sarcastic comments and stand-off-ish attitude, but none of them seem to be aligning with his current behavior.

Not when he's holding onto you for dear fucking life, like you'd float away in the wind if he let go of you for a singular moment.

Eddie's body heats up as he notices Zoey's curious gaze, and he settles for a gentle hand on your back in order to guide you towards Volt. You bury your head in Volt's chest before he even has a chance to wrap his arm around you.

“My sweet spark, you must be exhausted.” Volt runs his hand over the top of your head before kissing your scalp. “Let's get you to the car.”

You nod as Eddie wraps your jacket around your shoulders.

Your body is cold, but if your mind was a heater, then you'd be hot all over.

You pull your head away from Volt in order to look at your friend.

“Bye, Zoey.”

She shoots you a wink before mouthing ‘Good luck!’

You're led out the door before you can blink, and your mouth drops at the sight of an empty stairwell.

No pool of blood, no brains, no twisted limbs, no body.

How did they do that so fast? It's only been thirty minutes or so.

…Have they done this before?

You shiver at the thought as a brief smile ghosts your lips.

Maybe you're not alone in this world of death and destruction.

You don't linger for long - Eddie and Volt keep you moving until Volt opens the car door and helps you inside.

He quickly kisses your cheek before climbing into the backseat while Eddie drives you home. One of his hands is on the wheel, and the other holds yours.

It's a quiet car ride, which feels unusual for the three of you.

It's an unusual circumstance, that's for sure.

Your thoughts are nothing more than static buzzing in your ears - they were so deafening before, but now it's like they're barely there.

You don't feel as violent when you're with your boys.

The realization slaps you across the face.

I've never thought about Eddie and Volt like that, it's always been loving or affection or sensual or-

You're not going to finish that thought.

It's a bad idea to use them as a way to self-medicate your violent tendencies. It's despicable, really.

But if you can tame this demon inside you, then it's worth a shot. You'd love to kill, but you love Eddie and Volt more.

You can have your cake and eat it too, but someone else has to die before you realize this.

You'll do whatever it takes to earn their affection, their love, their time, and their space. You'll stick by their sides twenty-four seven if it keeps the violence at bay.

They'd probably enjoy that more than they'd like to admit, since they're always trying to find excuses for you to stay in and do something with them.

The car stops when you make up your mind. If you're going to do this, then you're going to be smart about it. You have to find some sort of excuse for tonight’s accident besides the truth-

Your hand comes to your face so you can wipe away a few stray tears.

Tears? When did I start crying?

“Spark?”

You start sobbing hysterically.

You’re not saddened by tonight's events. Not a shred of guiltiness lingers in your mind; in fact, you feel like you’ve scratched an itch that’s been on your mind for years.

An itch that would continue to bother you for the rest of your life, until you accepted that it was just a part of you.

Well, it’s obviously not the murder that’s weighing you down. So what could it be?

The car door swings open, and Volt’s on his knees before you can blink.

“Darling, it’s alright. We’re here.” His fingers caress your arm in an attempt to ground you.

You feel Eddie squeeze your hand, and it’s in this moment that you feel unworthy of their attention and praise.

How could you not? They practically confessed to you last night, and then less than twenty-four hours later, you made-out with some random fucking guy because you missed them.

God, you are fifty different shades of fucked-up.

“He wasn’t just some guy.” You say in-between gulps of air.

What are you doing? You shouldn’t be telling them this.

There’s no response, only space for you to talk.

And, boy, do you talk.

“Zoey dragged me to some party after we got out of class. I didn’t even want to be there! I thought the alcohol would make me forget about-”

Shut. Up.

“-you two.” You sniffle while avoiding eye contact with both of them. “Fuck, I missed you both so much. I shouldn’t have even gone to class today. I should’ve stayed back at the apartment so we could’ve talked. If we did, then I wouldn’t have done… that.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“What happened?” Eddie asks.

Do NOT answer that, you blabbering IDIOT-

“This guy - that guy - came up to me. He started to flirt with me. It made me feel special.” You breathe in, then out. “I didn’t want to make out with him. He didn’t force me - shit, I think I might’ve forced myself onto him.”

You didn’t. He liked you, but the version of you that he liked wasn’t who you truly were.

They say nothing.

You keep talking.

“But I wasn’t making out with him. In my head, it was you two. Fuck, it’s always been you two. I’ve never even been interested in anyone else. But here I was, kissing him, touching him, because I thought I couldn’t have that with you,” You laugh bitterly as tears continue to stream down your face, “and you know what’s really messed up? I realized that he wasn’t you - either of you - when this fictional version of you in my head told me that you loved me. You’ve never told me that you’ve loved me!”

You’re so fucked if the cops come around and question you for this guy’s murder. What are you going to do, cry your way out of it?

“I pushed him off of me as soon as I realized, but he ended up following me outside. Then he touched my shoulder, and I panicked,” The next part flows so easily out of your mouth, “I pushed him down the stairs. I didn’t even know what happened until I saw all of the blood, but I-”

Do you really want to tell them that you liked it? Be honest, you savored the thrill of being judge, juror, and executioner in one fatal shove.

You pause, for the first time in a while.

“-I need help. I’m a fucking trainwreck. I don’t know why you two have stuck around for so long. I just fuck everything up, and I’m going to screw up your lives if you don’t get away from me.”

“Screw up” is a little harsh. Accurate, but still harsh.

You’re gasping for air by the time you finish your speech. You don’t want to look at your boys because it’ll break your heart to see the anger and disappointment that’s displayed all over their faces.

You dare to look up at the windshield first in order to clean some of the snot and tears from your face.

Diving through the windshield might be my best option at the present moment.

You look at Eddie, then Volt, then back to Eddie.

Regret.

It’s all you can see in their eyes.

“Live wire-”

“-Don’t talk to me like that, Volt. I don’t deserve your kindness,” You blink away a few tears as the words tear their way out of your throat, “I don’t deserve you or Eddie.”

That makes you want to sob more because it’s the truth. You’ve never deserved them at any point in your life, but you certainly don’t feel worthy of their presence right now.

They’re everything and I’m just the scum of the Earth. They should’ve just left me alone when we were kids, that would’ve saved them so much heartache and worry-

“You deserve everything, spark,” Volt cups your cheek before moving your head in his direction, “we’ll give you anything your heart desires. All you have to do is ask.”

“What if all I want is you?”

The words hang heavy in the air before Volt beams at you.

“Then we’re yours.”

No.

No, it can’t be that easy. Not after you laid your burdens at their feet, after you made them clean up your mess-

Volt’s the romantic, the one telling you everything you want to hear. Maybe if you turn to the more reasonable person in this car, he’ll tell you that you’re crazy and you should leave them alone.

“Eddie.” You whisper his name in fear of what he’ll say.

Again, he squeezes your hand.

“Do we really have to spell it out for you?”

They’re joking, they have to be-

“You’re serious? You want to be with me, after I did all of that?”

You’re not even sure if you’re referring to the murder or the make-out session.

Both. It’s probably both.

“Will you have us?” Volt looks at you expectantly, like a puppy dog who’s about to have his day ruined if you say the wrong thing.

“Yes. Fuck yes!”

You throw your arms around Volt, and he catches you in his arms before you both hit the ground.

Volt laughs freely, like a burden has been lifted off of his shoulders, as he gives you a warm hug.

“Carefully, darling,” Volt purrs into your ear, “I can’t have my partner hurting themselves.”

Partner. You like the sound of that.

Your chuckles echo around the parking lot before you give Volt a sweet kiss on the lips. You yelp when he lifts you up to your feet, and you turn around on instinct, anticipating Eddie’s presence before he reaches the two of you.

Volt keeps you in his arms as Eddie teasingly pecks your cheek.

“Hey!” You pout as a small smile slips onto Eddie’s face.

“Cute.” He comments before kissing you on the lips.

It’s a perfect end to an otherwise shitty night. Arm-in-arm, you walk back to your apartment with them before you’re drowned in all of the affection and sweet words that you could dream of.

All the while, you’re blissfully unaware of the dismembered body in the back of Eddie’s car.

Chapter Text

It’s hot. Unbearably so.

Hellfire, or another divine punishment for your crimes?

You’re sweating bullets as you wake up from your slumber. For once, you slept peacefully, without dreams of murder sprees and nightmares of past traumas. You know you have Eddie and Volt to thank for that.

You also have Eddie and Volt to thank for the beads of sweat that drip off of your body.

You’re completely sandwiched between them, with limbs twisted together in ways you can’t even begin to explain. One of Volt’s legs is thrown over yours while both of Eddie’s are smushed in-between your legs. You’re being both pushed and pulled by the arms that wrap around your chest and waist. You love them, you truly do, but you fear you’re going to die from a heat stroke if you don’t get some air.

You attempt to prop yourself up with one of your elbows, but your boys take that as an open invitation to snuggle even closer to your body.

You whine before stretching your limbs and trying to shrug them off.

“Boys, ‘m warm.” You yawn as you speak.

Volt’s dead to the world, but Eddie stirs a bit as his hands rub soothing circles on your back.

“Morning.” He mumbles into the pillow before his eyes finally crack open.

Eddie is handsome normally, but he looks downright irresistible in this state. His hair is tousled every which way, and you swear up-and-down that his five o’clock shadow is just a bit darker in the mornings. His lips may be slightly chapped, but they look like they’re inviting you in.

“Live wire? Why are you-”

You kiss Eddie with what may be a little too much enthusiasm for this early in the morning, but he certainly doesn’t seem to mind. He chases your lips the moment they leave his, and he’s quick to reclaim them with another kiss.

“Is that how you say good morning?” Eddie jokes as he puts a shaky hand through his hair.

“Was it too much?” You’re suddenly a little self-conscious about accidentally running over one of his boundaries, but he’s quick to reassure you otherwise.

“Too much?” Eddie laughs at the idea, “Wasn’t enough for me.”

“Eddie!” You yell his name as he pulls you closer to him. “That is not what I woke you up for!”

Eddie side-eyes you.

“Really?”

“I’m melting!” An uncomfortable whine leaves you as you wipe the sweat from your brow.

“Volt, get off of them.” Eddie tries to pry Volt’s arms off of your stomach, but Volt sighs before squeezing you tighter.

So much for that, I guess.

“You’re not helping either,” You’re scolding Eddie, but a smile slips onto your face to reveal your true feelings, “You both need to give me some space.”

“Last night, you said-” He smirks as your face twists into a frown.

“Eddison Watts, get off of me. Now. I’m going to sleep on the couch if you can’t keep your hands off of me.”

You’re hoping that the use of his full name will wipe the shit-eating smirk off of his face, but it only seems to fuel his fire.

“Is that a threat?”

You grab your pillow and pull it to your chest.

“Does it need to be?”

Eddie chuckles before reluctantly letting go of you. His attention then turns to Volt, who seems to be completely oblivious to this entire situation.

“Volt.” Eddie tries to help you out of Volt’s grasp, but his efforts are fruitless as Volt drags you back under the sheets.

“Volt!”

Magically, as if your yelling has supernatural properties, Volt happens to wake up at that exact moment with a lovesick grin on his face.

“Good morning, my darlings.”

“Morning, Volt.” Eddie can’t help but crack a smile as Volt pulls you even closer in order to kiss you.

“Volt, you know I love you, right?” You mutter against his mouth.

“You said it quite a few times last night, spark.”

“Please let go of me. I'm dying.”

You groan as Volt places his hand on your forehead.

“You’re burning up, my dear.”

“Yes, Volt, I know.” You set your pillow down in order to push yourself away from them. “I need to take a shower.”

You manage to escape from your bed before either of them can reach for you. Although you’re annoyed at how much sweat you’re covered in, you can’t help but tease both of them.

“Y’know, I’d invite you two in, but I think that’d make me even sweatier.”

With a cheeky wink and two very flustered partners behind you, you make your way to the shower in order to clean yourself up for the day.

~

The water feels perfect on your skin, and it almost allows you to relax.

You shouldn’t be here, pretending to be domestic and lovey-dovey. You should be prowling the streets - hunting, harvesting, claiming what’s yours-

They’re in the other room, not that far from you, yet you hunger for spilt blood the moment they’re out of your eyesight.

You can’t get rid of me. I’m not a demon or a monster in your closet. I am a part of you; no, I am you.

You can do this. You can control yourself. It’s not primal like the urge to eat or drink or sleep is, you don’t need to kill-

Oh, you need it. You need it badly. You need to wrap your hands around someone’s throat and watch them beg you for their life. You need to let them think that they have a chance of escaping you, even though you’ve already imagined their death fifty times over. Death will cling to you like a foul stench.

Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. In-

You’ve stopped fooling yourself that you’re normal, yet you still deny yourself of this simple pleasure. Why? Who do you have to impress now? Them?

Shower. Think about how you’re in the shower.

The water’s the perfect temperature. Focus on how the water runs down your spine, how the soap cleans your body.

You look at the shower head.

There should be water flowing out of the shower head, but water isn’t red. Pure blood is being sprayed onto you. Blood that you can’t stop, no matter how much you fumble with the knob.

It’s not fake blood anymore!

The blood is coming down and it’s drowning you and it’s filling your lungs and it’s choking you out-

You don’t even realize that you’re screaming until another hand reaches around the shower curtain and turns off the water. You look down at your hands and they’re covered in blood. It drips down your legs in the most unsatisfying way possible as it hits the shower floor.

It’s not fun to watch yourself bleed out. Other people look so pretty when they’re on the edge of death, but you? You look like a fucking wreck.

“Blood. There’s so much blood…” You’re shaking like a leaf in the wind, and you feel like you’re going to collapse into nothingness.

“It’s just water.”

It’s just water.

You blink, and the blood’s gone.

As it was last night.

You frantically flip your hands palm-up, and sure enough, you’re covered in water. Just water.

You pull the shower curtain to the side to see Eddie and Volt looking at you with a mix of terror and concern in their eyes.

“Volt…” You do your best to cover yourself with your hands before Volt hands you a towel.

“I’m here, darling. We both are.” Volt looks deeply worried as you wrap the towel around your body. “Do you know where you are?”

“The apartment.” You whisper.

“Good little spark.”

Volt takes your hand before he helps you out of the shower.

God, am I going to have to deal with this until I die?

“I can’t get it out of my head. Am I going to be haunted by this for the rest of my life?”

“Of course not,” Eddie sighs as he takes in your form, but he quickly blushes and turns his head away before speaking again, “you need time.”

“And rest. Lots of rest.” Volt gives you a weak smile before kissing your forehead. “Everything has been taken care of, live wire. I assure you that this will pass.”

It won’t. You know this - he’s starting to figure it out.

“You think so?”

A wolfish grin appears on his face.

“My sweet spark, I know so.” Volt grabs your wet, not-bloody hand and brings it to his lips.

It’s a warm gesture that manages to stir a heart that you fear may be cold and dead. It beats rapidly against your chest, as if it’s protesting your previous assumption.

“I don’t know how I’d survive without the two of you.”

The bile rises in your throat as you choke back some tears. You feel so guilty for needing them when you’re nothing more than a parasite, leeching them of life and joy.

“The feeling’s mutual,” Volt kisses your hand again before looking you in the eyes, “trust me.”

You think he’s lying with his honeyed words, but you can tell that there’s a smidge of truth in his words.

And that’s good enough for you.

Your boys avert their eyes as you dress yourself, because they’re scared to leave you alone. As you finish pulling your shirt over your head, you try to ignore the missing piece that’s nagging at your thoughts.

You’ll never feel right unless you kill again.

“Okay, I’m done.”

Wordlessly, you’re led out of your bathroom and into the kitchen area.

Don’t fight it, let me in. Let yourself in.

Volt hands you a mug of something warm and caffeinated before you even register what’s going on. He sits you down at the kitchen table as his hands massage your shoulders. His thumbs dig deep into your muscles, and you have to bite back a moan at how good it feels for him to touch you.

“Relax, live wire, you’re safe with us.” Volt murmurs as you allow your eyes to close.

Safe, huh? You’re physically safe, but your mind is an active warzone.

You smell breakfast cooking - your favorite breakfast - and you let a smile slip onto your face.

Your boys have always taken such good care of you. It’s hard to remember why you wanted to spend less time with them.

This is where you’re meant to be. With Eddie and Volt by your side.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Volt reaches the door in three strides, but his hand hovers over the door handle. He looks to Eddie, who gives him a sharp nod, before Volt opens the door.

“Good morning!” A chipper voice greets your ears, “Would this happen to be the residence of…”

She reads out your full legal name, which makes your eyes snap open.

Whatever domestic bliss that had surrounded the three of you has completely left the apartment. You look just as tense, if not more tense, then Eddie, who’s paused what he’s doing to look at Volt.

“Yes, but I don’t think they’re in the mood for company.”

Volt's back is turned to you, but you're sure that he's showing one of his fakest host-like smiles. The thought makes you giggle, but you slap your hand over your mouth so you can hide your presence.

“Well, I wasn't asking for permission!”

The woman slips by Volt before she points her magnifying glass - wait, why the fuck does she have a magnifying glass? - at you.

“You.”

Shit. Is she a detective?

“Me?”

You must have the look of a frightened deer because Eddie and Volt are at your side instantly. Volt sits on your left and has his arm wrapped around the back of your chair while Eddie sits on your right and keeps a supporting hand on your thigh.

They're here. You're safe. You're going to be fine.

“Yes, you,” The girl fishes a badge out of her pocket before tossing it at you, “my name's Maggie. I've been put on the case of that guy who went missing last night, and I think you have crucial information that could help me crack this mystery!”

This time, you're going to shut the fuck up. Okay?

If you get caught, there's no more Eddie and Volt. No more nights spent curled up between the two of them, no more laughter, and no more kisses and gentle touches.

You'll be alone with your dangerous, erratic thoughts.

You can't be. They'll break you before you give in.

You look at the badge, and surely enough, it's real. She's a real detective who could bring an end to your murder streak before it even really starts.

Too bad that she dies before she figures it out.

By you and your lovers’ hands, of course.

Maggie sits on the other side of the dining table, but her presence is much less intimidating than the last police officer that questioned you.

You must have been grilled for hours in that police station. You were the last person seen talking to Teddy, you should know what happened between then and his murder.

You were crying by the end of the investigation. They had gone through all of the recorded incidents of bullying that you were a part of, and they tried to use it as a motive for murder.

No matter how much you tried to explain that you were the victim, they weren’t having it. You had to have known something, had some sort of sick revenge fantasy in your head after years and years of abuse-

Well, you did have those thoughts, but you didn’t act on those feelings until you had moved away from this town.

You had to watch the video of your bloody baptism over and over again. They picked apart your every emotion and action like it was remotely relevant to the murder of your classmates.

They finally let you go when a body was found outside of the doors of the high school, which meant that you couldn’t have been the one to place it there.

Eddie and Volt were at the police station, and you were received with warm arms. They put you back together, just as they did the night before prom.

It seemed the universe was trying to tell you that the only people you could count on were Eddie and Volt.

How right they’d be. To you, at least.

“-You were reported to have been near the subject last night. Is this true?”

…Near doesn’t seem like a good description of last night’s events.

“Yeah.” You softly whisper before your hand finds Eddie’s.

Eddie takes your hand in his as a subtle sign of his support.

“Okay,” Maggie fixes her glasses before nervously looking around your apartment, “I, uh… think these next few questions would be better answered in private.”

…She knows. Fuck, does everyone know?

“This isn’t an interrogation.” Eddie sternly says.

“I am beginning the process of my investigation-”

“-you stormed into our apartment without a warrant,” Eddie sounds spiteful and angry, angrier than you’ve ever heard him be in your presence, “they don’t have to answer shit.”

“Your cooperation would be most appreciated-”

“We stay, or you get out.”

Eddie’s ultimatum causes Maggie to reconsider her strategy.

“Right, of course…” She loudly clears her throat as she plays with the magnifying glass in her hands, “did you kiss him?”

You bite your lip as you nod your head in shame.

Ashamed of kissing but not of murder - oh, how far you’ve fallen!

“May I ask why?”

“Why would you need to know that?” Your irritation with Maggie is starting to grow - what is she playing at, exactly?

“It’s pertinent-”

“-I disagree,” Your eyes stay fixed on the table as you refuse to look at anyone, “ask me something else. Please.”

“Do you regret what you did?”

The make-out? Absolutely. The killing? Fuck no!

“I-”

“I think that’s quite enough,” Volt pinches some skin on your shoulder so you’ll look at him, “my dearest partner was shaken up by the news of this man’s disappearance, and I don’t appreciate the tone you’re taking with them. It almost sounds like you’re trying to accuse them of something.”

“I didn’t mean to-” Maggie tries to backtrack, but Volt won’t let her escape that easily.

“Are you?”

“No! No, I…” She takes a deep breath to steady herself, “I think they’re the last person that saw this guy before he disappeared. I was just trying to figure out if he wandered off, or if they saw him get into a car with someone, or if something else had happened.”

“That’s better,” Volt turns his head to kiss your cheek, “Dearest, why don’t you tell Maggie what you told us?”

What?

Your expression is completely blank until Volt raises an eyebrow at you.

Oh, he wants you to lie, and he’ll follow your lead.

“I…” You rack your brain for an excuse, a plausible one that will get you out of this mess, “I was drunk, but I had a moment of clarity and remembered that Eddie and Volt were waiting at home for me. So, I pushed this guy off of me before I called them-”

“-poor thing was in hysterics when they called us,” Volt’s expression twists into something you can’t quite read as he builds off of your lie, “and they confessed everything. We immediately came to get them once that man tried to threaten our darling.”

“Threaten?” Maggie repeats, trying to grab more information from him.

“Didn’t hear the specifics, but it sounded bad,” Eddie shrugs before he squeezes your hand, “and he didn’t leave them alone until we got there.”

“Where did he go?”

“Off into the forest,” You take back control of the narrative, “I think I saw him stumbling and swaying, though.”

Maggie’s eyes light up.

“Of course he was drunk! He could’ve slipped on something and cracked his head open-”

Maggie misses the way you grimace as she lists off the possible ways this guy could’ve died.

“-but that’s not important. I appreciate your time,” She glances at Eddie, then Volt, “and I’m sorry for bothering you.”

She quickly gathers her things before rushing out of the door.

“Wait, your badge-”

She comes back for it, eventually, but her curiosity gets the best of her.

And you know what curiosity does to cats, don’t you?

The apartment door slams shut.

A confused silence wraps around the three of you as you try to understand what just happened.

“Thank you,” You whisper as your heart pounds in your chest, “for whatever that was.”

“Of course, live wire,” Volt pecks your temple, “we’re here for you. Always.”

~

It’s dark now.

You’re asleep in your bed, safely curled up underneath the bedsheets. You think Eddie and Volt are next to you, sleeping soundly as well.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Volt, can you grab a shovel and help?” Eddie grumbles as he throws some dirt over his shoulder.

“...Can I ask you something, darling?”

“After you grab a shovel.”

Volt chuckles at Eddie’s straight shooting before he grabs a shovel from the trunk. The sight of a few limbs doesn’t bother him anymore, so he leaves the trunk wide open.

No one will see them, anyways. They’re too far off of the beaten path for anyone to go snooping.

“Do you think our live wire is like us?”

Eddie pauses as Volt buries his shovel in the growing hole in the ground.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean, Eddie.”

“No,” Eddie answers quickly, “and I’d prefer it stays that way.”

“What if they were? What if there was a chance, my dear?”

Volt nearly sounds overjoyed at the idea of you joining them. Eddie’s more hesitant, though.

“Then we’d take them along with us,” A light smile ghosts his face before it quickly disappears, “but I’m not dragging them into this unless…”

“Unless?” Volt inquires.

“Nevermind,” Eddie shakes his head, “don’t put any ideas into live wire’s head, Volt.”

“Oh, I don’t think I have to, darling,” Volt purrs as the hole in the ground deepens, “if they’re anything like us, then they won’t be able to help themselves.”

He was right. You couldn’t help yourself - the blood was just calling your name.

Chapter Text

Two months.

It’s been two months since that fucking mess.

Your life has been relatively boring since then, much to the chagrin of the voice in your head.

You should be out there, killing and maiming and hunting, yet here you are, playing the stay-at-home partner!

Maggie still hasn’t come around to grab her badge.

She’ll get it soon enough - at the cost of her life.

…It doesn’t feel right.

You don’t feel right.

You go to class, you work, you hang out with your friends, and any remaining time spent awake is with your adoring, loving boyfriends.

So why don’t you feel fulfilled?

You have Eddie and Volt at your beck and call, playing to your every whim, but it’s not enough.

Blood. You need to feel blood on your hands. Blood that you spilled.

You don’t speak to them about what happened that night. They don’t bring it up. You wonder if it’ll be a skeleton in your closet for the entirety of your relationship.

My dear, they have a lot of skeletons in that closet.

How did they get rid of the body? How did they manage to clean up all that blood? Would they teach you someday?

A fucked-up fantasy, that’s all it is. Your bloodlust and your actual lust will be forever separated, never to be intertwined.

Well, that's what you think. Tonight quickly disproves that.

You need to think of something else, especially since you’re at work. A lecture was a different story - you could grab some notes from your friends or just read the powerpoint online. If you make a wrong move now? You’ll be wearing whiskey for the remainder of your shift.

That would suck.

“Hey, live wire.”

“Eddie?” You rub your eyes with your hands after you set down your serving tray.

Wasn’t I just at a table? When did I get to the bar?

…Am I actually losing my mind?

He frowns before he grabs your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours.

“You look like you haven’t slept in weeks.”

Well, the consistent thoughts of murder and blood will do that to you!

Eddie’s gaze is scrutinizing, and you shift uncomfortably as his thumb massages the palm of your hand.

“I’m having a rough night.” You quietly admit.

Eddie quickly fishes his car keys out of his pocket before handing them to you.

“Wait in the car. I’ll be done in a few minutes.”

“Eddie, I still have a few tables to cash out-”

“-I’ll make Volt do it,” Eddie laughs under his breath before his eyes soften, “you need rest.”

“I needed a few minutes to-”

“-clear your head?” He finishes your sentence for you before leaning over the bar to kiss your forehead. “We’ll handle it, spark.”

Oh, they’ll have to handle a lot more than some cash in a few minutes.

“Thanks, Eddie.”

You quickly peck his cheek before, and Eddie’s face turns crimson before he tilts his head away from you.

“Get out before I make Volt carry you out.”

“Got it,” You move your head so you can sweetly kiss him on the lips, “I love you.”

Eddie simply hums before he kisses your fingertips.

“Love you too,” He whispers, so only you can hear him, “go find Volt.”

“I will.”

You’re both disappointed when your hand easily slips out of his.

The bar isn’t too packed tonight, so you’re easily able to find Volt as he charms a few guests with his accent and warm smile. He, however, quickly disregards them when you walk his way.

“Darling,” Volt intercepts you with an arm around your waist, “are you clocking out for the night?”

“Eddie threatened to kick me out if I didn’t leave,” Your fingers fumble around with the key in your hand, “so I guess I am.”

“You’ve been busy all night. Your feet must be quite sore with all of the running around you’ve been doing.”

Damn, he’s good.

“A little, but that’s normal-”

Volt frowns as he tries to read your foul mood.

“-did something happen? Live wire, I assure you that I will take care of it.”

He’s protective of you while being somewhat unaware of the dangers of your own mind. You fear yourself - and for good reason.

“I think there's something wrong with me.” You mumble under your breath.

“There is nothing wrong with you,” He scoffs at the notion, “and your mind is deceiving you if you think so.”

“Volt, you don’t get it. I-”

“Enough,” Volt’s voice sounds dangerous, and it makes shivers run down your spine, “I won’t have you speaking poorly about yourself. You are wonderful as you are, spark. You’re perfect for us.”

“Volt-”

“The bar will be closed in a few minutes, my dear. No one will notice if you slip away to catch your breath.”

“Sounds like you’re encouraging me to skip work.”

You smile as Volt uses his hands to pull you closer to his chest.

One last moment of normalcy before that ship sails away forever. Domestic bliss sold for a serial killer's great fantasy.

“Is that how it seems?” He chuckles before leaning in to kiss you. “I’m wounded that you think of me as such a terrible influence.”

His words - not mine!

“Oh, you’re awful,” You can’t resist the urge to tease him, “how many times have you dragged me into the back room so you could kiss me?”

“Spark, you look so beautiful in your work clothes. How could I possibly resist you?” Volt grins before his lips graze your forehead. “Don’t tell me that you didn’t enjoy yourself.”

“When did I say that?” A bit of laughter escapes your chest. “I enjoy every second I spend with you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Volt blushes before he squeezes your hips, “Would you like me to walk you to the car?”

“I'm alright. I can handle myself.”

You're much more capable than either of them give you credit for, and they're in for the shock of their lives when you make them realize it.

You exchange one last kiss with Volt before escaping his grasp.

~

The nighttime air feels good on your skin, but it does little to stop the turbulence in your mind.

You have the keys, just put them between your fingers and find someone to-

You walk slightly faster to the car while pushing a more pleasant fantasy to the front of your mind.

After a long day of classes, there's nothing quite like coming home.

Volt sweeps you into his arms after pulling your bag off of your shoulder. He hums a popular love song, one that you know by heart, and he gently sways you side-to-side as you glance up at him like he’s your entire world.

Well, he’s half of it.

Eddie rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath while he watches the two of you with an amused smile. He’s completely hypnotized by you, and he's quick to grab his phone.

You're too busy with Volt to notice what Eddie’s up to until you hear that exact song being played from his phone’s speakers. Before you know it, you're spun around to face Eddie.

Eddie might seem like a less enthusiastic dance partner than Volt, but he quickly proves you wrong when he pulls you closer to him. His hands land on your waist, and you’re quick to wrap your arms around his neck.

“You’re stepping on my feet.” He jokes.

“You stepped on mine first!” You defend yourself, which makes him laugh.

“You know I have two left feet, live wire.”

“That just means we have to dance together more often. For practice, of course.”

Eddie’s as red as a tomato, and you think you’ve guaranteed yourself the win in the teasing battle until Volt enters the fray.

His arms wrap around your middle, and you’re stuck in what Beverly so elegantly calls an Eddie-Volt sandwich. You prefer that over the eiffel tower jokes, if you’re being honest with yourself.

It’s a perfect way to relax and unwind after a stressful day of classes, when you need a-

“I fucking knew it was you.”

“Huh?”

You spin around to face whoever's talking to you, but it's far too late.

They have you pinned against one of your co-worker's cars before you can think about retaliating. With their arm over your shoulders and their legs slotted in-between yours, it'd take a Herculean effort to wriggle your way out of their grasp.

In less fancy words: you're so fucked.

“Scared, huh?” They take note of how heavily you're breathing, “It's good to know that a monster like you can feel fear.”

Those eyes are full of hatred and ideas of glorious revenge. That smile is wicked beyond description, and-

Wait.

You know those eyes. Eyes that have taunted and tormented you for years. Eyes that you thought you left in a town you'd never return to.

Those eyes are begging to be torn from that skull, where you can squish them between your fingers and rip the nerves straight out of-

“You have no idea what real fear feels like,” You're filled with an indescribable rage as you speak, “you bullied me for years. You made me feel like shit, and for what? Do you know how scared I was to leave my house? I thought you and your friends were going to fucking kill me!”

“We should've,” Your former classmate bitterly laughs, “we would've been heroes.”

“I didn't kill those people,” You spit out, “but I wish I could've seen their faces when they died.”

“You're sick.”

“You made me sick,” You argue right back with your assailant, “and here you are, gloating about it!”

“You've always been this way. If you were a normal kid, then we would've been nice to you!”

“What?”

“You pulled on cats’ tails for fun. You chased dogs around with a plastic knife. Why do you think you had trouble making friends? It's not rocket science!”

You've been fucked up since birth, but you can't deny that your classmates messed you up further.

Which had a greater influence on your current and future actions - the societal impacts of your strange behavior, or the violent thoughts that seemed to be wired into your DNA?

“I had friends!” You scream in their face before successfully pushing them off of you.

“Those lapdogs?” Their voice is lined with pure malice. “Did you finally put out for them, or are you still dangling that treat in front of their faces?”

“Go fuck yourself.” You say before they pull a switchblade out of their pocket.

“Oh, I'm going to enjoy carving up your pretty little face, live wire.”

The blade pops out far too easily, and they swipe at you with practiced ease. You lean to the left so the knife hits the passenger's side door instead of your face. A god-awful sound emanates from the act of metal penetrating metal, and the switchblade sticks out of the door like a janky handle as a result.

You have to bite back a giggle as they repeatedly tug at the knife handle with no luck - it’s stuck in there good.

What are you doing?!?! They’re not looking at you - it’s time to strike!

You lunge at them, and your hands wrap around their throat before their body hits the pavement with a hard thud. You don’t feel the impact as strongly as your attacker does, but they are more concerned about the way your fingers tighten around their throat as you squeeze the life out of them.

This. This is what it means to be alive. This is what you’ve been missing for the past two months - no, your entire life! To have control over life and death. To see someone take their last breath. To have blood, guts, and the sweet, inescapable glory that comes with it all.

You need it all, and you need it bad. Luckily, it’s right here for the taking!

It’s a high that has you delirious - so much so that your grip loosens on them without you noticing.

“Fuck!” You scream as your back slams against the pavement.

“You do have some fight in you, after all.” They chuckle before they reach for the switchblade. “Too little, too late.”

You feel like you’re living in a horror movie as the blade chooses this moment to free itself from the car door.

This is how you die. Scared and alone. Just like you always thought.

Your former classmate, your bully, the person who will end your life raises the blade above your head.

The end of us, before we even began.

You close your eyes.

…Nothing.

There’s nothing. No sharp pain, besides a small stinging sensation in your cheek.

Cautiously, you open your eyes to see a boot on your attacker’s neck.

A breath of relief escapes you.

You’re okay.

They desperately reach for their weapon of choice, but they howl in pain as another boot steps on their hand.

You’re both disgusted and thrilled by the sound of snapping bones.

“Don’t even think about it.” Eddie - your Eddie - is harsher than you’re used to.

There’s an unmistakable anger in his eyes, that same anger you remember seeing when you came over to his house after prom.

He’s protective of you. Fiercely protective.

“You two,” They gasp for air as the boot on their neck continues to press down, “should’ve known it was you two. You might be more messed up than them.”

“I advise you to choose your next words carefully,” Volt sounds so uninterested, like this person is no better than the dirt underneath his feet, “we don’t take kindly to threats.”

“How did it feel to kill all of those people?” They say before Eddie and Volt talk over one another.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Are you hoping to join their ranks?”

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

Did they…? How long…? When did…?

…Shit.

“Eddie and Volt, a murderous duo for the ages,” They look you in the eyes, which causes you to shudder, “too bad your spark is pathetic and unworthy of any recognition-”

A gun pointed directly at their head is enough to shut your former classmate up.

Bringing a knife to a gun fight… tsk, tsk, tsk!

“Stop. Fucking. Talking.” Eddie holds the weapon of death in his hand, and you’re curious if he’s going to shoot this person executioner-style right in front of you.

Your hand finally comes to your cheek, and your eyes widen.

Blood. Your blood on your fingers.

It’s fine when it’s other people’s, but yours?

Less satisfying, more terrifying.

You shriek.

“Spark-”

“-Make sure they can’t walk. I’ll take care of live wire.” Eddie shuts Volt down by handing him the switchblade.

“Oh, darling,” Volt purrs before kissing Eddie on the cheek, “there’s nothing I would like more.”

You’re so used to seeing Volt’s cheshire-cat grin that you have no idea how terrifying it is to see it from another point of view.

Especially when that point of view is about to have their ankle ligaments sliced beyond recognition.

Screams of pain are background music to Eddie, and they’re a sound he chooses to ignore as he grabs your hand.

“Blood… my blood.” Your hands shake uncontrollably as your eyes stay focused on the blood on your hands.

“It’s a small cut.” Eddie grabs the towel that’s hanging off of his belt, and he hands it to you. “Here. Press this against your face.”

You follow Eddie’s instructions as he grabs your hand and brings it to your lips. Your cheek does hurt, but the pain seems to go away when he kisses your bloody fingers.

Eddie’s so gentle with you that you almost forget where you’re at, but another scream pulls your attention away from Eddie and back onto Volt.

Almost.

“Fuck off!” Your bully yells as Volt observes the bloody knife in his hand.

“Where are your manners?” Volt scolds them. “You should be begging me to spare you after everything you’ve said and done to our dear spark.”

“You’re protecting a monster-”

“-I’m protecting my partner.” Volt’s clearly seething as his head snaps over to the two of you. “Eddie, dear, are you ready?”

“Almost.” Eddie hollers back before releasing your hand. “Lay down. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“...I want to watch.” You admit.

“You do?” Eddie blinks once, then twice. “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

I’ve been dreaming about this for a long, long time.

Without another word exchanged between the two of you, Eddie quickly helps you to your feet before taking your hand. You’re led over to Volt, who quickly pulls the towel from your face.

“Have you come for a front-row seat, live wire?” Volt runs his finger over your wound, and his expression is pained as you wince. “You certainly won’t want to miss this.”

I wanna watch them die is what you think you'll say.

“I want to kill them myself” is the phrase that slips out of your mouth.

“Do you, now?”

Volt presents you with the bloodied switchblade.

“Volt.” Eddie warns.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. We’ll take care of this mess either way, my darling.”

Once again, you’re given an out. You can go back to a normal, boring life where you study all day, work all night, and then only get to be yourself in your wildest fantasies.

Or you can have a chance at this. Whatever the fuck this ends up being.

The blade feels so natural in your hand, like it was always supposed to be there. Eddie and Volt are probably coaching you in the background, but you’re not listening to them.

Not when you’re listening to the pleas of your bully.

“No, please, wait-”

You’ve dreamed about this moment for years. You can finally be the one to inflict all of that pain onto someone else.

The knife is raised above your head before you can think otherwise, and the last noise they make is a quick scream.

You stab them right through the heart, and blood flies everywhere. Splatters land on the pavement, on your clothes, and all of your face.

You killed them. And it felt good, didn’t it?

…Who’s to say that you stop at one?

A permanent expression of fear is etched onto their face. They can’t escape from your wrath anymore.

You’re not alone right now. Don’t keep stabbing until you’re content.

You look back to Eddie and Volt as the knife falls to the ground once more. You flash them a bloody, cruel smile as blood drips off of your face and onto the pavement.

They should be scared of you. Any rational person would be.

“Live wire,” Volt says, “is this what you’ve been hiding from us?”

He’s looking at you in a whole new light - you’re no longer a thing he has to protect. You’re dangerous in your own right. Awe, fear, and lust drip from his gaze.

It’s an intoxicating combination that you want more of.

Volt, Eddie, and a few blades is enough to have your devious mind racing for hours on end.

You silently nod before your eyes land on Eddie.

“How long?”

“Since prom.”

“Shit,” Eddie curses, “it’s been that long?”

“I didn’t think you two felt like this. God, I thought I was broken for so long-”

“-You’re not,” Eddie jumps in to comfort you, “you never were.”

“We’ll figure this out, darling. Together.” Volt extends his hand to you, and you take it.

You’re wrapped in a warm embrace by both of your partners, and for once, you feel like everything’s going to be okay.

The three of you will be alright. You were always going to be alright with them.

But now you’ve set something much, much worse into motion.

Chapter Text

You lurk outside of a random house in an unfamiliar neighborhood.

There’s a woman inside of the house who, stupidly enough, has all of her curtains opened at one in the morning.

Clearly someone isn’t very educated on horror movies or serial killers.

You stalk your prey, waiting and watching, until she yawns and goes to lock the house up. The woman forgets the back door - a rookie mistake - and you’re quick to seize the opportunity.

It’s far too easy to slip inside, and your footsteps are featherlight as you watch her rub the sleep out of her eyes. She places her hands on her back and stretches for a bit as you make your way through the kitchen.

The largest knife in the knife block is tempting you, so you grab your weapon of choice and hide it behind your back as you sneak up on this poor woman.

She never sees it coming as you stab her right through the back. It’s a delightful sight to see the knife stick out of her chest, and you love how she’s never able to get out a singular scream.

The woman drops to the floor once your knife exits her body, but you’re not done with her yet.

Bodies always look better mangled and bloody, after all.

She’s very dead by the time you’re done stabbing her. You lost track after thirty, but by the blood covering the cabinets, ceiling, and floor, you’re guessing that the actual number is close to fifty.

~

It feels weird to disclose these fantasies with Eddie and Volt as you’re trying to rip the limbs from someone’s corpse. Not wrong, just… weird.

You’re used to shooing your thoughts away with more pleasant ones, or running into one of your partners’ arms when a thought becomes too violent for your tastes.

It's jarring to have Volt look into your eyes with intrigue and ask you for more of your thoughts.

“Volt, you don't want to know-”

“-there's nothing I would like to know more, spark,” Volt gently cups your face with his hands before he smirks, “unless you have other thoughts that you're willing to share?”

“Oh, you want to know about those ones?” You play coy before chewing on your bottom lip. “What exactly do you want to know?”

Volt’s face is painted with the softest shade of pink.

“I think you’re quite aware of the topic I’m referring to.”

“Sex?”

Eddie loudly coughs as a fierce red blush races across his cheeks.

“Live wire.”

“What?” You giggle when you realize that Eddie can’t meet your eyes.

“Do you want to help or not?”

“I am helping!” You vaguely gesture to the bloodied handsaw that you’re holding onto.

“You’re distracting me.”

“Am I?” A teasing smile graces your lips. “Hadn’t noticed.”

“You’re insufferable.” Eddie rolls his eyes before he kisses the back of your neck.

“You love it.”

“We do, my dear.” Volt chimes in before squeezing your face with his hands. “Now, as much as I would love to continue this conversation, I think we have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Volt lets go of your face so the three of you can stare down at the partially dismembered body that sits in the middle of the woods. Their head was easily separated from their body with no more than a few cuts from a butcher’s knife.

Heads will roll, and that one rolled really far.

The limbs were a bit trickier - muscles are hard to cut through, after all. Your jagged cuts are rather unimpressive compared to the clean lines that Eddie and Volt produce.

Still, they’re willing to teach you the tricks of the trade. Even though they can be a bit… hands-on at times.

Eddie’s arm is looped around your waist as he points out the next spot for you to cut. His hand lands on top of yours as you set the saw right above their knee.

“Watch the arteries, dearest. I’d hate for you to ruin the rest of your clothes.”

“I don’t think I can wash the blood out of my shirt, Volt,” You look down at your blood-stained apparel, “but I appreciate the concern.”

You’re caked in the stuff from head to toe. You didn’t know that humans could bleed this much, but you’re pleased with the discovery.

It’s perfect. This is perfect. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

…But something is eating at you, isn’t it? The thought of them not including you in their deadly schemes is tearing you apart. Do they only view you as weak and vulnerable?

“Can I ask you something?”

Eddie rests his head on your shoulder as you begin to cut into this person’s flesh.

“Shoot.”

“When did you and Volt start killing people?”

You feel Eddie’s breathing stutter, but his hand continues to help you through the sawing motions. You find Volt’s eyes, only to see worry pooled in them.

“Darling, don’t you think this is a discussion better tabled for-”

“Volt.”

“Eddie.”

“They deserve to know.”

You suddenly feel invisible as you’re in the middle of a stare down between Eddie and Volt. Your stomach twists when you realize that this line of questioning will only start an argument.

But why? Wouldn’t they be on the same page after killing twenty-two teenagers?

“No, I’m sorry. It was stupid. If you think it’s better than I don’t know, then I trust your judgement,” You let Eddie guide your hand as you continue to slice through flesh, bone, and muscle, “I’d probably just mess everything up.”

“No,” Eddie’s grip on you tightens as the lower portion of the leg is finally separated from the rest of the body, “it’s… complicated.”

“Spark, we were much more… reckless during those times.” Volt’s expression sours as he speaks.

“Do you not trust me?”

“Of course we do,” Volt ushers your hand away from the saw before pulling you into his arms, “there’s no one we trust more. I wouldn’t want to bore you with all of the details, live wire.”

“I don’t think it’s fair that I have to reveal all of my secrets yet you get to keep yours.”

An accusatory finger pokes Volt’s chest, and he chuckles in response.

“You make a very convincing argument.” Volt plays with a strand of your hair. “Now, where to begin?”

~

A night drive to clear their thoughts, where discussions took a turn for the deadly.

A shotgun in the backseat of the car - placed purposefully or accidentally in the wrong place at the right time?

“We can’t do this, Volt.” Eddie turns down a familiar street, but it’s not to pick you up or take you home.

“Why not?” Volt asks.

“Why not? What if we get caught? Shit, Volt, what if this comes back on live wire?”

“It won’t. We’ll be careful.” Volt sounds distant, and he certainly looks the part with glazed-over eyes. “Turn here.”

“Here? You want to start with him?” Eddie sighs before following Volt’s instructions.

“Don’t you want to know Teddy’s part in all of this?”

“You think he planned this?”

“Is there evidence to point to the contrary?”

Silence.

“...We should’ve been there, Volt. If I hadn’t-”

“Eddie.” Volt grabs Eddie’s wrist as he shifts the car into park. “You didn’t know. We didn’t know.”

“I’ve never shot anything besides a fucking deer.” Eddie confesses as he glances at the shotgun in the backseat.

“Then pretend you’re shooting a deer, darling, or whatever other animal you please.”

“This is going to end badly,” Eddie takes a deep breath before he glances over at Volt, “you need some sort of weapon.”

“Don’t worry about me, dearest,” Volt says as he pulls a pair of black gloves over his hands, “I’ve got something different in mind for Teddy.”

~

Two.

It was supposed to be two. No more, no less.

Teddy’s sister ended up orchestrating the whole ordeal on prom night, so it wasn’t a waste to take care of both of them in one go.

But it didn’t scare people away from you.

Everyone in the school was given a week off to mourn their fellow classmates, but it wasn’t the hot topic when you came back to school on Monday.

Your peers - all of them - were snickering at you as you walked past them. Casual insults were hurled at you like it was nothing because it was nothing to them.

It was everything to you, though. After another phone was shoved in your face, showing you a night that you’d rather forget, you ran to the nearest bathroom and hid in there for hours.

Eddie and Volt were confused on why they were dragged out of their classes until a guidance counselor took them to a bathroom stall.

“I don’t care if you have to take the stall door off,” They grumbled before pinching their nose, “get them out before this ends up on the news.”

The counselor swiftly left the bathroom as Eddie and Volt glanced at each other.

“I don’t know why our presence is required, darling.” Volt leaned against the wall as Eddie shrugged his shoulders.

“What are we supposed to do, lure them out like a wild animal?”

Click!

Right after Eddie spoke, the latch on the stall was undone, revealing a dishelved, snotty, teary-eyed version of you.

They didn’t know it was you.

You’re in Volt’s arms before you have a moment to think. Your face is smushed against his chest as his thumb runs up and down your spine.

“I’m not going to have a normal life, am I?” Your voice is muffled, but they both heard you just fine. “No matter where I go, I’m always going to get made fun of. These people don’t ever get punished for the shit that they do… it’s so unfair!”

Eddie laid a hand on your lower back as your tears spilled onto Volt’s shirt. The pair shared a pained yet understanding look.

A look that said ‘this can’t end until a fucking message is sent’.

~

Thirteen isn’t the prettiest number, but it’s the number that finally gets people to stop taunting you in the hallways. When people around you start to disappear, others tend to leave you alone.

Unfortunately, this has also placed you right in the middle of a police investigation. Every time a new body shows up, you’re dragged out of Eddie’s house in order to answer questions on your whereabouts the night before.

And every time, you try to explain to them that you don’t know where these people live or how they died. Hell, you don’t even have your own car!

Eddie and Volt can’t let that stand - not when a particularly brutal interrogation made you so upset that you locked yourself in your room for the rest of the day.

So, the next time you were dragged down to the police station, your boys took matters into their own hands. They left a little gift on the steps of your school, which quickly took your name off of the suspect list.

But it wasn’t all about revenge.

Something within them had been rewired - or had it always lay dormant in them, ready to be awakened at the right time?

It wasn’t enough to get people to stop; no, they had to wipe every single person who made you miserable off of the face of the planet.

To Eddie and Volt’s credit, they got close to their goal.

Twenty-two bodies was impressive for two teenagers who knew basically nothing about murder beforehand.

So what ended it all?

~

“Volt?”

Your soft, sleepy voice broke both of your boys out of their murderous haze.

You weren’t supposed to be awake. Not at this ungodly hour.

But here you were, stumbling down Eddie’s front porch while you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes.

Eddie frantically tried to shove the severed limbs into the trunk of his car, and he quickly shut it before you realized what was going on.

“My sweet spark, what keeps you up at such a late hour?” Volt distracted you with his charms, and you seemed to fall hook, line, and sinker for it.

“I missed you. I wanted to sleep next to you and Eddie, but you two weren’t in bed.”

“Aww, how adorable,” He cooed at you as Eddie realized that a hand was sticking out from the trunk, “we missed you too. How about we go inside so you don’t freeze?”

Eddie cursed under his breath before fidgeting with the hand and his trunk lid. Luckily, he managed to close the trunk fully before you looked at him.

“Eddie?”

Your hand was frozen in mid-air, free for the taking, and Eddie found himself drawn into you once more as he took your hand in his.

“Let’s go inside. I’m not taking care of you if you get sick.”

“You wouldn’t?”

The sadness in your eyes made both of them want to immediately beg for your forgiveness, despite not doing anything wrong.

“Darling, he’s trying to hide the fact that he’d be at your beck-and-call the entire time-”

“-like you wouldn’t be right there, too,” Eddie blushed and turned his head away from you, “of course I’d take care of you. I always will.”

“Promise?”

“For fuck’s sake, spark,” Eddie sighed before an amused smile appears on his lips, “I promise. Can we go inside now?”

You nodded before allowing both of them to escort you up the stairs. Everything appeared to be going smoothly as the door closed behind Eddie.

“What’s that red stuff on your clothes?” You pointed at a spot on Eddie’s shirt, and your mouth was wide open after you touched the stain. “Is that blood?”

“It’s not ours-”

“-that doesn’t help, Eddie.” You crossed your arms after your hand slipped out of his. “Did someone try to hurt you? Was it…”

“Yes, live wire-”

“Volt.” Eddie was stern, but Volt chose to ignore the glare that’s sent his way.

“-We scared him off, my dear. I’m quite sure that he won’t be back to bother anyone.”

“That doesn’t seem likely. I think this guy’s going to kill me next.”

“What? Why would you think that they-” Eddie coughed to hide his blunder, “he would come after you?”

“Everyone around me has died! If I’m not next, then I’m definitely some sort of angel of death or something.”

“Look at me,” Eddie waited until your eyes decided to meet his, “you don’t have anything to worry about. He’s gone for good.”

“Eddie, I don’t know how you can be so sure-”

“-I think this discussion can wait until we’ve all had some rest.” Volt cut in with a graceful yet tired smile. “We’ll get cleaned up before we come and see you, darling.”

“Oh.”

The room was filled with tension that you were oblivious to as a wave of tiredness crashed over you. It was late, and you were overthinking everything. It’d be nice to relax with them before you go back to bed. They always took care of you - who were you to doubt them?

Eddie and Volt watched nervously as you yawn into your hands.

“You’re right, Volt. I should get some rest.”

You pressed a kiss to Volt’s cheek before turning to Eddie to do the same. They both blushed before you made your way upstairs and into your room.

Eddie and Volt waited until they heard your door shut to speak.

“Are we in agreement, Eddie?”

“Absolutely. This isn’t worth losing live wire over.”

“I’d hate to leave our work unfinished,” Volt looked over to the stairwell with a sad smile, “but I can’t stand to make our live wire think that we’d harm them.”

“What about their-”

“-I think losing a child forever is enough of a punishment, my dear.” Volt placed a hand on Eddie’s lower back. “Now, come with me. I believe we have someone special waiting for us.”

~

“Me? You stopped because of me?”

“Eddie and I… we didn’t want to scare you off,” Volt casually says before a soft smile lands on his face, “It seems we’re cut from the same cloth, spark.”

They’re just like you. Hungry for more kills, more blood, more brutality.

Scared of their lover’s opinion, only to find approval and acceptance among them.

…So? What are you going to do about it?

“What do we do now?” You throw the question to them, hoping that they’ll have some guidance or direction for you.

And, like always, it’s you who’s prioritized.

“What do you want, live wire?” Volt leans on the exterior of the car as you grab a shovel from the trunk.

“I…”

Should you tell them?

Fuck it. You’ve made it this far.

“I want this. I want to kill,” You bite the inside of your cheek, “but we have to be smart about it.”

We?

“We?” Volt mirrors the confusion of your thoughts as you stare at the pile of assorted limbs.

“You said we’d figure this out together,” You frown as you throw some dirt over your shoulder, “are you taking that back?”

“No, my darling,” Volt moves to stand next to Eddie, who’s actively choosing not to partake in this conversation, “I don’t want you to stoop to our level if you’re not-”

“-like you and Eddie?” Your laughter is slightly manic as your gaze focuses on Volt. “I just murdered someone, Volt! What makes you think that I’m not like you and Eddie?

You pause as your vision blurs with the threat of tears.

“…Do you not want me around anymore?”

In a flash, Volt’s at your side, and he throws the shovel out of your hand.

“What are you- Volt!”

Your eyes widen when he drops to his knees so you can look down on him. His hands trail up your legs and thighs until they rest underneath your shirt. His thumbs rub circles into your stomach, which causes you to bite back a whimper.

“I worship you. I’d trade my life for yours,” Volt quickly glances at Eddie, “we both would. The world is your oyster, live wire. Whatever you want is yours. We’ll give it to you, no matter the consequences. …We didn’t start this with the intention to keep going, but we will go on if that’s what you desire.”

“I want you and Eddie, and I want to keep killing with you. Both of you.” You finally whisper your desires into the world, and it’s like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders.

There it is. The ugly truth, out in the open.

Volt gives you a teasing smile.

“Is that all?”

“Is that all?” You repeat in disbelief. “I’m asking the two of you to risk your freedom and safety for me. That’s a tall order.”

“You’re not asking us to move mountains, spark,” Eddie joins the conversation as he cleans some dirt from his hands, “we can do this, if you want it badly enough.”

“I do, Eddie,” You mumble as a cold breeze wraps around your body, “it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Great. Can you or Volt help me?”

Right. The body… or what’s left of it.

“As soon as Volt gets off of me, I’ll help you.”

Eddie chuckles.

“Good luck with that.”

~

You enjoy the liveliness of the drive back home. With your inhibitions released to the wind, the three of you talk freely about everything.

Even though you get the feeling that they’re still hiding something from you.

…They are, by the way.

You should’ve known that it was going too well for the three of you. Misery follows you around like a persistent, troublesome suitor.

Volt takes your hand and helps you out of the car when you arrive back at your apartment. The parking lot is empty, minus the presence of a few cars scattered around the area.

It’s a peaceful night.

But not for the three of you.

Eddie’s arm wraps around your waist as Volt squeezes your hand before looking you up and down.

“My sweet spark, did I forget to tell you how wonderful you look?”

“I’m covered in blood, Volt!”

“So?” Eddie pulls you flush against his chest.

“You two cannot be serious.” You’re laughing until you realize that they’re being one-hundred-percent genuine. “This is a turn-on? Seriously?”

You’re not one to talk, either. You’ve been giving them less-than-subtle glances all night. It’s hard to not get distracted when Eddie rolls up his sleeves or Volt undoes the buttons of his shirt or-

They’ve been doing that on purpose. Those teasing-

“Oh, you have no idea what you just started…” Your free hand grabs the collar of Volt’s shirt so you can yank on it.

He stumbles closer to you, and a warm blush appears on his face.

“I think you know that we don’t tend to act without a purpose, live wire.”

The way Volt says your nickname sends shivers right down your spine. It’s a dangerous invitation to come closer, to test a limit that the three of you have been pushing for a while.

You can’t resist his siren call, and your lips meet his in an explosively passionate kiss that leaves both of you gasping for air. You want to kiss him again and again and again, but Volt tilts your face towards Eddie so he can have a turn.

Eddie’s kisses are much messier than Volt’s, but you’re moaning into his mouth nonetheless as Volt’s hand sneaks up, up, up your shirt and-

“Freeze!”

You’re roughly detached from your lovers before you’re shoved behind Eddie and Volt. You’re barely able to peak over their shoulders to see a familiar face.

“Maggie?”

She’s holding a gun.

She clicks the safety off - a final warning to obey, or she’ll shoot.

Tik-tok! Time’s up!

You don’t even think before you unsheath the switchblade that sits in your pocket. You slip between Eddie and Volt in order to have a chance to hit your target.

“The three of you have a lot to explain.” Maggie’s hands are shaking as she constantly changes her target from you, to Eddie, to Volt, and then back to you.

She’s terrified. And a bad shot, most likely.

“Maggie, there is nothing that we can’t-” Volt starts, but he’s silenced by Maggie waving her gun at him.

“You’re covered in blood!” She yells. “What else am I supposed to think?”

“Don’t shoot.” Eddie looks terrified as Maggie closes in on the three of you.

“How many people have you killed? How long have you been doing this?”

You can’t let her hurt Volt. You can’t let her ruin your dreams. Not when you finally have everything you want.

Your grip on the switchblade tightens.

God, please…

You throw the knife without thinking.

You have terrible aim, what are you-

It hits its mark perfectly. The knife sticks out of Maggie’s throat before a river of blood flows down her police uniform.

Maggie grabs at her throat to attempt to stop the bleeding, but it’s too much, too fast.

“You won’t… get away…” She chokes on her last words as blood trickles from her mouth.

But we just did, didn’t we?

The gun lays dormant in her hand as Maggie crumples to the ground. Her breathing stills instantly, and once again, the three of you are left alone.

Another body to dispose of, but this one has a lot of strings attached to it.

No one speaks.

What do you even say in a situation like this?

You turn to Volt, who is still processing Maggie’s sudden demise.

“You know what, Volt? You’re right,” A sick smile appears on your face, “I’m not like you and Eddie.”

Silence.

“I’m worse.”

Chapter Text

“Is anyone home?”

Maggie’s knuckles meet the door once more as she waits for a response.

…No one comes to the door.

“I just need my badge! I’ll be in and out, I swear!”

Still nothing.

Maggie’s not patient enough for this. Her hand slips into her curly red locks, and she quickly retrieves a bobby pin that is oh-so-conveniently placed in her hair. She crouches down, so she’s eye-level with the door, and she fiddles with the lock for a bit.

“This stuff only works in the movies,” She grumbles in annoyance, “I don’t know why I even-”

She pauses when a soft clicking sound emanates from the lock.

“Nevermind.”

The door swings open far too easily, and she slips inside before any neighbors notice. It’s still light outside, and Maggie could get in big trouble if she’s caught trespassing for the third time this month.

“There it is!” She triumphantly pumps her fist into the air before grabbing her badge from the kitchen counter.

The detective in her can’t help but scout out the apartment. For a place that houses three people, it’s awfully… clean. Every blanket is folded with crisp, clean edges, every cushion is positioned perfectly, and not a single speck of dust can be found on any furniture.

“Too clean.” Maggie mumbles before grabbing her notebook from her jacket. “Something’s amiss.”

It couldn’t hurt to look around, right?

…Right?

~

“Hey.”

Eddie cups your cheeks as you stand frozen in-place, completely paralyzed by the sight of Maggie’s lifeless body.

You’re not bothered by the blood or the corpse. The consequences, however, are a different story. This isn’t just some nobody that you can dump in the middle of the woods. She came to your apartment in a police car. She could've been wearing a body camera, for fuck's sake!

“Hi.” You weakly mumble back as you watch Volt retrieve the blade from her neck. “ ‘m sorry, Eddie, I wanted to protect you and Volt-”

You wince as blood sprays over Volt's clothes. He simply shrugs before wiping the knife on his pants.

Unbothered by it all, just like you.

“You did, spark, I promise you did,” Eddie presses a quick kiss to your forehead before his eyes meet yours, “I need you to do something for me.”

“What? Why can’t I-”

He ignores your protests in favor of presenting you with his car keys.

I'm getting deja-vu. Doesn't he know that separation ends horribly for us?

Well, we're fine. Strangers, on the other hand…

“There's a self-storage place a few miles down the road. When you get there, look for the thirteenth storage unit,” Eddie points out a specific key on the keychain, “this will unlock it.”

“What am I looking for?”

“You’ll know when you see it. Volt made three of them because he thought that you'd…” Eddie trails off before shaking his head, “nevermind. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

That’s cryptic.

“Are you sure that you and Volt-”

“We’re fine. Just… make sure to clean yourself up before you come home.”

“Got it.” You place Eddie’s hands in your own before leaning in to kiss him. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Take your time,” He whispers against your lips, “we’ll be here.”

“I know,” You glance over to the body on the ground once your lips leave his, “You’ve got a lot on your plate.”

He must not want you around anymore after seeing what you’ve done, you disgusting-

“We’re not pushing you away, live wire,” Eddie seems to read your thoughts, which leaves you stunned, “we can’t… tell you everything. You have to see it for yourself.”

You must be in for a real treat, then. I wonder what awaits you. Calcified bones? Eyeballs that float in jars of vinegar? Other assorted limbs and tools of death?

What are you waiting for? Get in that car and drive towards your destiny!

“Eddie, darling,” Volt purrs as he dangles the switchblade between two of his fingers, “a hand, please?”

“In a minute!” Eddie shouts back before turning to you. “Be safe.”

“I will.”

You try to leave, but Eddie grabs your wrists to momentarily stop you.

“Volt was right, y’know.”

“Huh?” You tilt your head in confusion as a blush appears on his face.

“You look nice like that.”

“Covered in blood?” You giggle. “Good to know.”

You peck Eddie’s cheek before blowing a kiss in Volt’s direction.

“No goodbye kiss for me?” Volt pouts as you place your hand on the hood of the car.

“I’ll be back before you know it, Volt,” You can’t help but grin as the words slide out of your mouth, “I’ll give you a kiss then.”

“I’ll hold you to that, live wire.”

“I hope you do.” You shoot back before you climb into the car and take off towards your destination.

~

Eddie’s room is first on Maggie’s list. She makes a note of the unkempt bedsheets and messy desk - it certainly isn't Eddie who's keeping the place clean. Her fingers trace over the half-finished circuit that sits on Eddie’s desk before something nearby catches her eye.

She walks over to the dresser where a pile of newspaper clippings sit. They beg to be sorted through, and who is Maggie to deny her curiosity?

She’s heard about the murders that are referenced through these papers from a few senior officers, but it was mostly in passing. Just small comments about how “underfunded police forces lead to shit like this” and “we can’t allow something like this to take place in our city.”

…Little did they know.

She doesn’t find the content of the articles very stimulating; however, Maggie does find something that piques her interest. Messy lines of black ink underline certain portions, and they all seem to follow a common theme.

Witnesses. Every underlined paragraph mentions a witness in one form or another. In one of the articles, a group of younger boys describe the killer as a figure cloaked in all black besides a frightening white mask that seems to be reminiscent of a certain horror movie villain.

It all, quite frankly, sounds like horseshit to Maggie. She’s dealt with plenty of people who claim to see one thing when they actually see another - stress and fear do funny things to the brain. Still, it’s entertaining to think that someone was slaughtering people as-

A knock on the door snaps Maggie out of her thoughts.

“Hello?” A female voice rings out. “Is anyone home?”

Maggie keeps quiet.

“They’re not home, Bev. Maybe we can try again later?”

“Everyone’s already at the apartment, Kopi. I don’t want to-”

“I’m worried about them,” This voice - Kopi, apparently - speaks again, “There’s something wrong with Eddie and Volt.”

“So an intervention was your best idea? Baby, I love you, but if you're right about this, then they need to decide to leave on their own before we-”

“I can’t just… watch this happen, Beverly,” Kopi sounds angry as she talks to Bev - a lover, Maggie guesses. “I'm going to help them - with or without your permission.”

“Kopi, wait-”

A door slams shut, and the two voices fade into the distance.

Abusive would be the last word that Maggie would use to describe your relationship with Eddie and Volt. They seemed so loving and caring towards you… but were also quick to anger when she asked the “wrong” questions.

Are they two-faced, or was that a simple misunderstanding? When does protective become possessive?

“A new case emerges…” Maggie says to an empty room.

…A deadly case, one might say?

~

You don’t know what to expect as you stand in front of the storage unit.

Bodies on bodies on bodies? Police reports that describe the horrible, ugly truth in vivid, murderous detail?

…Come on, come on, get on with it!

The padlock sits heavy in your pocket as you stare into the nothingness. The darkness beckons you forth, and you’re unsure of what you’re looking at until your hand hits a light switch.

Suddenly, the room is illuminated, and your mouth hangs open at the sight in front of you.

“...Holy fucking shit.”

It’s the middle of the night and no one's around here, yet you don’t want to be seen with the display that’s in front of you.

This would make me look guilty as fuck. I need to close the door. Now.

You wait for the door to slam shut before you inspect the corkboard that sits in the back of the room.

You can keep tabs on people. You could stalk them, if you’re careful enough.

And then there’s whatever the fuck Eddie and Volt have been doing for the past few months.

Cut-out yearbook photos are littered all over the corkboard. Next to every single photo, there’s a piece of paper that lists the person's exact location. Every movement, down to the smallest relocation, is recorded in excruciating detail.

What the fuck?

The information listed was updated last week.

Has the slaughter of your school-aged bullies continued? No. Will it continue in the future? Absolutely.

Eddie and Volt said they'd do anything for you. You'd do anything for them.

Is this too far? Will you turn your back on them now?

You can't. You won't. Not when you can satisfy the needs of your desperate heart and the violent urges in your mind at the same time.

Investigate further. Look and see what a mess they've made for you!

You take a step back to admire the rest of the decor in the room.

The interior of the storage unit is lined with shelves, minus the space for the corkboard, and each shelf is overflowing with cardboard boxes. Someone - Eddie, you assume from the hurried, messy handwriting - took the time to label each and every one. You find yourself reaching for the boxes that intrigue you the most based on their labels.

Eddie did tell you to take your time, didn’t he?

You’ve picked out four from the hundreds in the room, and you can’t decide which to open first.

Movies. Records. Unlabeled. Live wire.

You’re very tempted to open the one with your nickname on it first, but something tells you not to.

They already know so much about you, your thoughts, your struggles… wouldn’t you like to know a little more about them? They told you about the murders, but what if they were lying?

They’re not lying… if you don’t count omission as lying.

You reach for the unlabeled box first, but you hesitate before pulling the lid off.

What could possibly be in here?

Your mind wanders as you consider the endless possibilities - could it be torn-out entrails that have yet to be disposed of? A carved-out heart that’s ripe for the picking? A jar of blood for you to admire in your free time?

“...Damn.”

A disappointed sigh leaves you as you look inside of the cardboard box.

Journals. It’s a bunch of old, dusty journals.

Still, it’d be a waste to just open the box and not explore its contents, right?

It could be worth your time. You could find out all of the glorious details of their murders!

Snooping around your lovers’ things, let alone their most intimate thoughts written in leather-bounded journals, wasn’t how you thought you would spend your night.

Especially after you killed not one, but two people, in a single night.

Yet here you are, devouring every single word like it’s a new bestseller that you’re hooked on.

You’ve managed to stumble upon Volt’s entries first, and your cheeks grow hot as you realize that he’s been admiring you for years, based on the dates that sit in the top-left corner of every page.

Every word is chosen carefully to describe you and your attributes. It’s hard to not be flustered when he spends three whole pages describing your physical beauty in painstakingly specific detail. If you weren’t a careful reader, you’d assume him to be a faithful, devout follower, and you’d be the distant, divine being that Volt spent his whole life chasing, admiring, wanting.

It’s poetry. Pure poetry about you. Sure, he does describe the murders that he participated in, but they’re nothing but miniscule waves in the sea of words that are written to praise and glorify you.

Love or obsession? Where do you draw the line, live wire?

You have to force yourself away from the journal when the loving, romantic literature about you turns into sensual erotica that would quickly distract you from your mission.

How many words can you use to describe my-

Don't answer that.

Keep those out, for later.

You’re definitely keeping his journals for, ah… extended research purposes?

Stop getting distracted by your hormones. Get off on one of your sex toys when you get home, you freak.

Volt, Volt, Volt. Years and years of his yearning is captured in daily writing entries. You’re flattered, you truly are, but you were hoping for more murder and less flowery language towards you and Eddie.

You expect the same from the last journal in the box, but you’re pleasantly surprised when Eddie’s handwriting greets you instead. The difference between the two is staggering. Eddie writes a lot less and is more sporadic with his entries. They aren’t daily - hell, they’re barely monthly until you reach a certain date.

Yes, that date.

Prom night.

I don’t know what to think. I can’t let anyone hurt them, and if this is the only way forward…

I’m glad Volt agrees with me.

You flip to the next page.

We can’t go back after last night. You can’t undo what we just did.

Live wire cannot find out about this. No matter what.

You skim the next few entries, and, like Volt, Eddie briefly mentions the murders he’s committed as if they were just a casual activity, like going to the movies or hanging out with friends.

No mention of the weapon of choice, or where they were at, or how they killed their victims.

Nothing, nothing, nothing! How can they kill and not wish to relive the moment over and over again?

Your eyes absorb the information that’s presented to you, but your brain can’t be bothered to remember any of it when it’s so uninteresting to you.

You’re about ready to close the journal until you stumble upon his entry for the night after that party.

Your first kill. Wonder what he thought about that?

I think Volt’s right. There’s always been something off about live wire-

Thanks, Eddie. Real confidence booster.

-but I didn’t think they were like us. I thought they were better than us.

Better than them? The notion of being remotely close to their level is laughable - if anything, you’re undeserving of them.

Volt made three costumes, but I won’t drag them into this. Not until we’re sure.

Costumes? What could he possibly be referring to?

You want to continue reading, but the entries stop there.

Just when it was getting good!

Like always, you’re left with more questions than answers when it comes to them.

~

Volt’s room answers most of Maggie’s inquiries when it comes to the state of the apartment. His room is nearly spotless, and it doesn’t take a police investigator to figure out that he’s the one keeping the apartment in tip-top shape.

She doesn’t really find anything of note in Volt’s room except for a plastic container that’s filled with random scraps of fabric. There’s exactly twenty-three of them, and they all have various grass or dirt stains on them.

Some even have a bit of red splattered on the material.

There’s nothing incriminating in there, so Maggie carefully puts the container back into place before she explores your room.

You seem to be the perfect balance of Eddie and Volt - not too messy, but not too clean. Perfectly balanced. Perfect for them.

Textbooks lay open on your desk, and your school computer is still running with an abandoned assignment open on your web browser of choice.

Maggie takes note of it all, but she doesn’t reach for anything until she sees a small notebook on your desk.

Upon further inspection, it doesn’t seem to contain anything related to school; rather, it appears to be a journal or diary of sorts.

Perhaps this could be the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to you, Volt, and Eddie?

Maggie takes a seat at the edge of your bed before flipping to the front of the notebook.

It starts from two months ago, when your romantic relationship with Eddie and Volt began.

She expects the lovey-dovey language from you, but her mouth drops to the floor when you casually admit to murdering one of your classmates within the first few sentences.

Not any classmate, though. It was the man she questioned you about.

Maggie has to learn more. She abandons her notebook in favor of using the margins in yours to take notes about your writing.

She reads every detail that you write about your persistent, violent thoughts. She can tell that you’re struggling to fight against your urges, and it’s only a matter of time before you kill again.

You need help, not whatever Eddie and Volt are providing to you. They’re swoon-worthy, sure, but they’re enabling you, whether you realize it or not.

You’re fully consumed by them in your every waking moment, and you barely have any time to yourself to sort out your thoughts. This journal is the one thing you seem to have to yourself.

Maggie knows you’re a ticking-time bomb that’s going to explode. She reaches for her phone, only to realize that she left it in her car.

She slips the journal into a pocket in her jacket before quickly exiting your apartment. Maggie needs back-up, immediately, before she confronts the three of you.

It’s too bad that she never makes it back to her car.

~

Two boxes down, two to go.

The Records box wasn’t anything exciting - you were already aware of the information that was presented within the articles that Eddie and Volt kept. You were interested in the folder that was marked Potential Witness?, but it was completely empty and unworthy of your time.

This isn’t as informative as I’d thought it’d be.

You’re nearly ready to give in for the night when you toss the lid to the Movies box aside. You smile at the sight of your boys’ handwriting on the numerous DVD cases that are haphazardly thrown around inside. All of your favorite horror movies are stored in this space.

Could you blame them for your violent thoughts?

Blame's a strong word. Inspired, however… that seems more Eddie and Volt's style.

You pick up A Nightmare on Elm Street first.

Too obvious is the comment that’s left on the DVD case.

Too obvious? What does that mean?

You set that film aside to reach for another - Friday the 13th.

Ski masks might work.

Are they taking inspiration from these movies?

…Oh God, those kids that they interviewed were actually right!

You vaguely remember watching a news station interview a group of younger boys, who all claimed that they saw the serial killer, the one that stalked your hometown, leaving the house of their newest victim. However, the legitimacy of their testimony was immediately thrown out when they all claimed to have seen a famous horror movie slasher instead of a real person.

A white mask, attached to a black hood, with a matching black cloak.

They didn’t- They couldn’t have possibly-

You already know which movie - or movies, you should say - to reach for next.

You pull out a stack of DVDs that are bound together by a small piece of rope. A big yellow sticky note sits on top of the first film.

Perfect is written in Volt’s handwriting.

The next line down reads: No knives, Volt. We’ve been using guns. It’s safer this way.

You chuckle as you can practically hear them arguing in your head.

We all go a little mad sometimes, spark.

And it’s our live wire’s favorite~ with a large heart next to your nickname.

The movie series you loved, for its twists and turns and gore and-

It's all for you. It always has been. Eddie may have wanted to push you away at first, but he wanted this just as badly as you and Volt did.

I wonder who did the calls and who did the killing?

You'll have to ask them about that, at a later time and date.

The vagueness of the journals… they didn’t want anyone to piece it together. Or maybe they wanted to disconnect themselves from the murders. But why? Why not savor the brutal glory of it all?

Is this what Eddie wanted you to see? Some sort of explanation of how they got away with it all?

Could this work again? It’s a long shot, but maybe…

A wicked smile appears on your face.

Oh, they're not ready for the chaos and bloodshed that we’ll cause.

With your curiosity fully satisfied, you close the lid on the box before pushing it away from you.

Eddie wanted me to get something, didn't he?

…Shit. There's so much stuff in here, how could I possibly-

Your eyes land upon the last box, the one labeled Live wire. You find yourself reaching for it as you recall part of your earlier conversation with Eddie.

“Volt made three of them, in the hopes that you’d… nevermind. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Three? Eddie had something in his journal about Volt making three costumes and-

You excitedly tear the lid off of the last box before you can finish your thought.

Please tell me that this is what I think it is. Black hoods, black outfits, and white masks-

Your hands find the black cloak that sits on top, and you immediately pull it out of the box.

Fuck yes!

It’s incredibly soft, and the material threatens to slip through your fingertips as you hold it in your grasp.

Perfect. It’s perfect! I can’t believe Volt made this for me - no, for us. All three of us.

You set the cloak aside as your fingers trace over the black hood that remains in the box.

You excitedly flip it over to see a white face staring at you. Its mouth is stretched into a permanent o-shape, and its eyes are dark and meaningless with a mesh material that you can easily see through.

One might say that the mask has some… ghastly, ghost-like features?

Yeah, you can make this work. Get a phone book with some yellow pages and a few weapons. With your lovers at your side, you'll be ready to go.

It's gonna be a scream, baby!

Chapter Text

“Eddie, darling, I cut the tracker out of Maggie's car,” Volt holds the small piece of metal in-between two of his fingers, “how would you like me to-”

Volt stops when he realizes that Eddie's not paying attention to him; rather, Eddie seems preoccupied with a small notebook that he grabbed from Maggie's jacket.

Volt smiles before placing his hand on Eddie's lower back.

“What has captured your attention, my dear?”

“A journal,” Eddie mutters as his hands trace the letters on the page, “I think it’s theirs.”

“Spark’s?” Volt looks up, like the mention of your name will bring you back to them instantaneously.

Eddie hums before he turns to the next page.

“Anything of interest?”

“Kind of? I…” Eddie closes the book before handing it to Volt. “I don’t know what to think.”

“What do you mean?”

Volt thumbs through the notebook, trying to make heads-or-tails of your frantic journaling.

I think I’m insane. That has to be it. No normal person fantasizes about murder or mangled bodies. I don’t know how much longer I can take-

-My friends are fine. They make me happy, at times, but I’m worried that I might hurt them. What do I do if that happens? What then? What if this extends into something more, like-

-I’ve thought about moving to another town. I’ve been slowly saving up the money to do so, since Eddie and Volt cover rent and groceries. I can’t hurt them. If I do, I’d never forgive myself. I should leave. It’d be better for everyone involved, since I just fuck everything up.

The last entry has yesterday’s date.

I can’t leave. I would never leave them. It’d break their hearts. All I want is to be happy, and to feel normal. Eddie and Volt make me happy, but they can’t make me feel normal.

I fantasize about death the way people fantasize about a lover. I want to wrap my hands around someone’s throat and squeeze until their breathing stops. I’d like to sneak into someone’s house and stab them until my heart sings in-time with my mind.

I can’t satisfy my thoughts and my heart at the same time. I won’t pull Eddie and Volt into my madness. They help keep the thoughts at bay, but it’s only a temporary fix. Once they’re out of sight, it all comes rushing back to me.

I’m so fucked up. I’m using my lovers to medicate my mind. They deserve better than me.

I hope they wake up one day and realize that I’m a deadly parasite.

If Volt’s gaze could cast fire, the journal in his hands would’ve been burnt to a crisp five times over.

“Months,” Volt whispers, “of this? Of thinking that they aren’t something special, something to be revered-”

“Volt-”

“-Eddie, how could we have not known?” The heartbreak casts a dour look on Volt’s face. “Our live wire has been torturing themselves, twisting their thoughts into an object of hatred rather than desire-”

“Volt.”

“-I know they don’t think very highly of themselves, but this? This is unacceptable. Darling, I think we need to pull out that old list and-”

“Volt!” Eddie yells to grab Volt’s attention before quieting down. “This isn’t helping. We can’t fix the past.”

“Isn’t that what we’ve been trying to do? My dear, I’m quite sure that we started this to clean up the sins of the past-”

Eddie interrupts Volt once more to shift the conversation away from more murder.

“-Live wire’s going to the storage unit.”

“Oh? I thought you sent them away for another reason.” Volt’s eyes are drenched with intrigue rather than vile hatred. “Why now?”

“I wanted them to grab something. Something that’s theirs.”

“Something? That’s quite vague, my dear.” Volt pauses as Eddie raises his eyebrows. “...Ah, I see. That little gift I made a few months ago.”

“It’s been longer than that,” Eddie looks back at Maggie as the knife in his hand shakes, “you kept yours?”

“What a silly question, Eddie! Of course I kept mine.” Volt chuckles before pressing a kiss to Eddie’s temple. “Did you?”

A small blush appears on Eddie’s face.

“...It’s in the back of my closet.”

“Good,” Volt smiles blissfully as his mind wanders, “I cannot wait to see how that cloak hangs off of their body, and how their hips feel when we-”

“-for fuck’s sake, Volt.” Eddie’s face grows redder as he crouches next to Maggie.

“What’s wrong, my dear Eddie?”

“What's wrong?” Eddie repeats, “Volt, I don’t want to think about fucking my partner while I’m cutting up a body.”

Volt’s cheeks turn pink at Eddie’s bluntness.

“...Afterwards, then?”

“Volt-”

“I’m kidding, Eddie. You are far too easy to tease.” Volt sighs happily before extending his hand to Eddie. “The knife, my dear?”

~

Shit, this is heavier than it looks.

You have to drop the box at the door of your apartment as you reach for your keys. You’re able to slide the key inside of the lock before the door next to your apartment opens.

Fuck. Please don’t notice the box with Volt’s journals and the Ghostface get-up.

“You’re home!” Kopi excitedly greets you before she grabs onto your arm. “Come inside. Beverly and I have been wanting to talk to you about something.”

You’re very thankful that Eddie had the foresight to tell you to clean up before you came home; otherwise, you’d have to explain your way out of the bloodstains that covered your body.

You would’ve had to kill them. What a shame…

“It’s late, and my boyfriends are worried about me-”

“Five minutes. That’s all we need.”

Keep up appearances and act normal. You can’t ruin the fun before it’s even been had.

“Sure.” You shrug noncommittally before allowing Kopi to drag you inside of her and Beverly’s shared apartment.

“You’re up late.” Beverly remarks as you walk through the door.

“So are you.” You comment as Kopi shuts the door behind you, “What did you…”

You pause as you take in the sight in front of you. Zoey and Penelope are curled up together on an air mattress in the middle of the living room while Chance and Parker sleep on opposite sides of the couch.

Why is everyone here? Did something happen?

A sinking feeling rests in your stomach as you go through the possibilities.

Are you caught? Is this the end of your friendship with all of them? Did someone find out something? Did Zoey snitch about that night?

“...What is this?”

“Just… hear us out, okay?” Beverly places her hands on your shoulders before Kopi hands you a variety of pamphlets.

Nothing special. An advertisement for a local therapy group, along with some information pamphlets about the different types of abuse in relationships.

Wait, this can't be about-

“I don’t…” You trail off as Kopi points to a specific pamphlet.

There’s information for a domestic abuse shelter listed on the front page, along with a hotline that you can call if you need immediate help.

No, this can’t be!

Your head snaps back to look at the four individuals sleeping in Beverly and Kopi’s living room.

Me. They’re here for me. They’re here because they think I’m-

You’re gutted by your friends’ insinuation.

“Is… is this a fucking intervention for my relationship with Eddie and Volt?”

“Please listen to us-”

“No,” You shake your head before tossing the papers on the counter, “they’re perfect for me. You can’t possibly understand what they’ve helped me through-”

And helped you do. They’ve killed, you've killed - it’s a match made in hell!

“-I’m sure they’ve helped you through a lot,” Kopi’s sympathetic, but only for a moment, “but I’m worried that they’re hurting you.”

You? Never. Others? Shake a magic eight ball and see what answer it gives you.

“Hurting me?” You laugh like it’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard. “Kopi, they’d rather tear off their own limbs than hurt me.”

That’s not a hyperbole, by the way.

“We’re not talking about physical abuse-” Beverly starts.

“-they’re not abusing me!” You scream. “Why would you think that?”

“Have you not noticed how they’ve acted in the past two months? How they’ve completely changed your life?”

“I don’t think that’s true-”

“Really?” Beverly scoffs. “So it’s normal for your partners to drag you away from your friends because they miss you soooo much?”

“That was one time!” You try to defend Eddie and Volt, but it doesn’t seem to sway Kopi.

“-Every time,” Kopi corrects you, “We barely see you anymore, and when we do, you’re with them. They’re always clinging onto you like they can’t breathe without you there-”

It’s the truth, little wire.

“-what’s wrong with that?”

“Have you ever heard of something called love-bombing?” Beverly waits until you shake your head. “That’s what I thought. Besides, don’t they insist on paying for everything while telling you what you should and shouldn’t spend your money on? That’s got to be some type of financial abuse-”

“So what? I’m horrible, too!” You raise your voice again as tears run down your face. “My emotions dictate everyone’s mood. They won’t do anything that makes me upset, and they’ll go along with whatever I want, as long as it makes me happy. Eddie and Volt have dealt with my shit for years, and they still choose to see the best in me. I can’t- I won’t let them go.”

Their claws are in you. Deep in you.

But you have a possessive, sickening hold on them, too.

Kopi chooses to wrap her arms around you as you continue to sob.

“I need ‘em, Kopi, they’re the only ones who’ll ever love me.” You mumble into her knitted sweater as she softly squeezes you.

“We care about you. That’s why we’re here.”

“You don’t love me,” You wail, “You don’t get me like Volt and Eddie do.”

“Why not?” Beverly asks.

An innocent question that feels rather loaded, given your previous actions.

She can’t accept this broken, battered thing that you are. You’re a cold-blooded killer, through and through. She should fear you and the things you’ve done.

“There’s something wrong with me. I’m… not right, Bev.”

“We’ll take you to a therapist in the morning.” Beverly says, like it’ll solve your growing body count. “Kopi knows a guy-”

“-He’s good.” Kopi pulls away from you before wiping some tears from your eyes. “You just have to get through tonight.” “Tonight?” You mumble.

Beverly and Kopi exchange a nervous glance.

“Well, they say that victims of abuse are-”

The door bell rings.

Wonder who that could be…

Beverly gets to the door first, and she takes a quick peek through the door eyelet.

“It’s them.” She whispers. “Bedroom. Now.”

Kopi’s face flushes.

“Bev, sweetheart, I don’t think now’s the time for-”

“-not you.” Beverly hisses. “Them.”

“Me? Why do I have to-”

Kopi shoves you into the bedroom before you can object.

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with. Eddie and Volt, they’ll-”

She slams the door shut before an ominous warning leaves your lips.

“-kill you if they find out I’m here.”

Your hand slams against the door as you hear Kopi lock the door from the outside.

Outside? What door locks from the-

You sigh as you remember Beverly telling you that Tony fucked up the locks in her apartment. Again.

You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. Of all the times-

“Hello? Is anyone home?”

Volt.

You should call out to Volt - God knows how badly you want to. You want to throw your arms around him and Eddie and let them carry you home.

That’s not all, is it?

You don’t. You keep silent as your heart pounds against your chest.

You want to tell them of your idea, your plans - but who’s to say that they don't have the same ones?

“I’m coming, I’m coming!”

You hear Beverly unlock her door and step aside as two - two? Of course it’s two, they come as a pair - people enter her apartment.

You should scream at the top of your lungs. You’re a hostage, trapped in a place you don’t want to be at-

“Thanks for inviting us in.” Eddie sounds gruff yet sincere.

“We apologize for the disturbance at such a late hour-”

“-have you seen them?”

They’re talking over one another? Strange.

You’re so used to Eddie and Volt working in-sync with each other. Not in a calculated, performative way, but with ease and the presence of a bond that you’ll never fully understand.

They’re shaken up. Badly.

“Them?” Beverly chuckles. “I don’t know who you’re referring to.”

“Beverly-”

“Eddie, don’t.” The hurt in Volt’s voice makes your heart ache. “We want to know that they’re safe.”

The room goes silent.

“...They’re okay.” Kopi softly says, and you can feel the tension building as Volt goes to speak.

“Are they-”

“Yes, Volt,” Kopi anticipates Volt’s question before he asks, “but you should go.”

“No.”

“Eddie, we’re not asking.” Beverly puts her foot down. “You and Volt need to leave.”

“I’m not leaving without my partner, Beverly.”

The way Eddie spits out her name makes your blood run cold. Alarm bells ring in your head - this will turn out deadly if Beverly and Kopi take the wrong approach.

“Darling, breathe,” Volt sighs, “we’re not getting anywhere with them.”

“I’m not leaving live wire-”

“-we’re not. Beverly, Kopi, I implore you to change your mind. I find it hard to believe that our darling spark is behind this.”

“Do you think for them, now?” Beverly sounds pissed. “I’m calling the cops. You’re trespassing-”

“-and you’re holding a person captive," Volt chuckles, “Quite the stalemate, isn’t it?”

They’re so dead.

Again, there’s no response until Kopi speaks.

“I saw that bloody knife in Eddie’s car.” Kopi admits.

What?

“What?” Eddie sounds shocked. “I-”

You could say something, y’know?

“It’s from a hunting trip,” Now you decide to make your presence known by lying through your teeth, “Eddie’s been teaching me how to hunt in my free time.”

A bad excuse? Maybe. Plausible? Hopefully.

“Why are you defending him-”

“-Because I love them, Beverly!” You cry as you lean your forehead against the door. “You’d do the same for Kopi, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, but she’s normal.”

I fucking knew it. They’re just like everyone else.

You dryly laugh.

“I’m not normal?”

“Not you, them-”

“-don’t talk about them like that.” You fight against Beverly, even though you know it’s pointless.

“We’re trying to help you!” Beverly’s anger shifts over to you.

“I don’t want your help! I want my partners!”

So desperate and needy, and for what? You’d be a fine killing machine on your own.

…You don’t want to be on your own, do you, spark?

“You’re confused. You need to think for yourself-”

“-Have you ever considered that I chose this, Beverly? I want this.” You cry out. “I confessed to them first. This is all my fault, so blame me!”

And you’re not just talking about romance…

“It’s alright, live wire.” Volt’s voice is soothing, and it makes your heart ache for him and Eddie more.

You know what to say in order to get them to bend to your will.

“Please get me out of here.” You plead with your boys because it always works.

But not this time.

“My darling, there is nothing I would like more but-”

“-Don’t you love me? Don’t you want me to be happy?” Your hand slams against the door hard, “I can’t be with you and Eddie if I’m stuck here!”

Again, not a voice in the room speaks. Perhaps Eddie and Volt are processing your rare outburst, or maybe Beverly and Kopi are starting to believe that you aren’t as innocent as they once thought.

“Volt, come on-”

“-but our spark-”

“-now.”

Eddie’s not abandoning you - he’s just choosing a less bloody path. One that requires only one more body to drop, rather than six.

That doesn’t change the fact that you feel abandoned, though.

“Eddie? Volt?” You yell their names, but there’s no answer besides the door being slammed shut.

You’re alone. They chose to leave you here.

What does that say about them? What does that say about you?

Pissed isn’t a strong enough word to describe the anger flowing through your veins, but it’s the only one that you’ve got.

“Fuck you!” You turn to face the wall that separates your apartment from Beverly and Kopi’s. “Fuck both of you! I’ve exposed the dirtiest, deepest parts of myself to you, and you’re just going to leave me here?”

Anger, then despair. It’s always despair.

“...Was it all in my head? How could you do all of those things and say what you’ve said without meaning any of it?” You’re crying before you know it, “I love you. I’ll always love you, and I’d do anything for you.”

After everything we did, after the messes we made?

“You said you’d do anything for me, right? You have done a lot, sure, but this is where you draw the line?”

Is this the end?

You thought you had finally found kinship with them, but were you misguided by your heart once more? They’re not like you - they kill for you, you kill for fun.

It wasn’t fun at first, but they soon grew to enjoy the act. They’re like you, my dear, more than you will ever understand.

“I just want to be normal, for once.” Your head hits the wall as your body collapses on the floor. “You made me feel normal. I thought we could, that we were…”

Special, that we could kill and maim until our hearts were content.

You don’t know what to say next, but you babble on.

“I want to be yours, my loves, please…”

The floor isn’t the most comfortable space, but your eyes grow weary as the tears stop flowing. You’re tired of fighting with your own mind. You want to give in and allow yourself to enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

Besides, you’re screaming at a wall instead of an actual person. There’s no way they heard you.

Oh, my sweet, naive, little spark. Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?

Sleep comes to claim you, and you’re more than willing to be its victim.

~

Red lights. Wailing sirens. It’s more than enough to stir that party that’s gathered in your neighbors’ apartment.

“Turn that alarm off, I’m tired…” Zoey shakes Penelope, who groans.

“It’s not me, Zoey, it’s outside.”

“Huh?” Zoey’s brown hair clouds her vision as she tries to look through an open window. “Beverly? Kopi?”

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Beverly confesses as she looks to Kopi, “they just pulled up a few minutes ago.”

“Police, maybe?” Kopi yawns before placing her head on Beverly’s shoulder.

“I don’t know, babe.” Beverly kisses her girlfriend’s cheek as Zoey goes to the window. “What is it?”

“I…” Zoey trails off as she looks out the window.

It’s a peaceful night with constellations dashed across the sky. The light pollution isn’t too bad in the city.

She looks down.

“Hey, are you-”

A shrill scream escapes Zoey as she scrambles away from the window.

“Zoey!” Kopi rushes to her side. “What did you…”

Kopi gags at the sight of the splattered mess that was once a human being. An irregularly-shaped pool of blood surrounds the tangled mess of shredded skin and limbs twisted in directions that don’t even seem possible.

“What the fuck?” Beverly takes one look before closing the curtains on the window. “They jumped, they must’ve-”

“-The building’s not that tall, Bev.” Kopi whispers as tremors take over her body.

“What are you suggesting, babe? Someone pushed them off and then beat them post-mortem?”

“Honey, I… I don’t know what to think.” Kopi takes a wobbly breath. “I need fresh air.”

Kopi escapes her girlfriend’s grasp, but Beverly’s hot on her tail.

“Get everyone up so they can head home. You don’t need to be involved in this mess.” Beverly glances back at Zoey, who’s staring at the ground in shock and disbelief.

“Right… right.”

~

A tender hand brushes against your cheek, and you find yourself pulled from the comfort that the blank nothingness brings to you.

You’re used to nightmares that make your worst conscious thoughts look like child’s play, or daydreams that range from domestic to romantic to downright sinful in all of the right ways.

To sleep with nothing in your mind… it’s truly something different.

But not something that you hate.

“Mmm, Kopi, let me sleep. I’ve done enough damage.” In your half-awake state, you assume it’s Kopi who’s trying to gently rouse you from your sleep.

You’re immediately corrected when a soft kiss lands on your cheek.

“I think you haven’t caused enough damage, darling.” Volt playfully whispers as your eyes fully open.

“Volt?” Your hand settles under his chin as your thumb brushes against his lower lip. “What are you doing here? Didn’t Beverly say-”

“-She’s out, spark. They all are.” Volt smiles before pressing a gentle kiss to all of your fingers. “I’m quite ready for us to go home and rest. Aren’t you?”

“Us?” Your head moves to the side as your eyebrows furrow. “Where’s Eddie?”

“He’s… preoccupied, as of now,” Volt glances off to the side, “but it’s nothing you need to worry about, my dear. Eddie simply adores you, and he- no, we want what’s best for you.”

…Ah, yes, he’s very busy shoving people off of buildings while Volt-

A heavy, weighted blanket of guilt crashes over you as Volt kisses your lips.

No, he can’t kiss you and love you after you cussed him out.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you and Eddie earlier.”

What are you doing? You don’t even know if they heard you.

You push Volt away from you, but the distance isn’t permanent as he pulls you into his arms once more. You’re trapped in his warm, loving embrace, and you don’t have the energy to fend him off.

“It’s alright. You were upset, my dear, and you were expressing those frustrations in a healthy manner-”

“-I’m cruel and manipulative! I make you guys go along with what I want because I know you don’t like to upset me.”

Volt places another kiss on your cheek.

“Live wire, everything we do for you is done willingly.” Volt buries his head into your neck so he can whisper in your ear. “You’re everything to us. Everything that you want is yours, and you need only ask-”

“I already told you what I wanted,” You adjust your head so you can look Volt in the eyes, “and I think I know how we’re going to do it.”

“Do you, now?” Volt chuckles, and the sound makes a brief smile appear on your face. “Please enlighten me.”

“Can we use those costumes that you made?” You ask.

“My sweet spark, nothing would delight me more,” Volt grins against your skin, “Of course, I’m assuming that you liked my gift.”

“Volt, it was perfect!” You kiss his forehead as one of your hands tangles in his white locks. “It was sweet of you to think of me, even when I wasn’t involved.”

“You’re always on my mind, live wire.” You feel Volt’s skin heat up at the admission. “As much as I’d love to stay here with you, I think there’s somewhere else I’d rather be.”

“Is there?”

“I saw those journals, darling,” Volt nibbles on the shell of your ear before you laugh, “as did Eddie.”

“I was saving them for later.” You tease.

“Later, hmm?” Volt pretends to think to himself for a moment. “Tell me, darling: what were you planning on doing with them?”

Checkmate! Good luck explaining your way out of this one.

“I… uh,” You stumble around your words for a bit, “I’d rather talk about this when you and Eddie are here.”

“What a wonderful idea,” Volt kisses your neck, and you shudder as he pulls himself away from you, “Shall we?”

Volt offers you his hand, and you gladly take it. Your hand slips up to his arm as he carefully escorts you back into your bed in your apartment.

If you were more awake, you’d notice that someone besides Eddie and Volt was in here.

With Volt laying next to you, it’s far too easy to close your eyes and let that blank emptiness consume you once more.

You don’t remember this conversation. Were you too tired, or too willing to let yourself forget what happened?

~

You’re in your room, in your bed. You don’t know how it happened, but you’re not about to ask questions. Not when you’re more than happy to accept whatever answer that Eddie and Volt give you.

You can feel the bed shift as Eddie and Volt curl up next to you while talking about something that your mind is too tired to decipher.

I’m sure it’s not important-

“You talked to them?”

Nevermind.

“I did, my dear.”

“And?”

You’re slowly starting to stir, but they’re too engrossed in conversation to notice you.

“They were quite receptive to our suggestion.” Volt places a loving hand on your shoulder. “Not that I had any doubts.”

Doubts? After last night?

“The journals-”

Shit, they saw the journals? You buried them under the Ghostface costume, how did they-

“-it was exactly as you thought.”

Eddie chuckles.

“They’re predictable.”

“I thought they were going to ravage me right then and there, given the look in their eyes-”

It must’ve been Volt who came and got me, but where was Eddie?

“-You sound like you’re complaining, Volt.”

“My dear, I would never! I simply wanted to share our live wire, considering that it would be our first time-”

Okay, that’s enough of that.

You sit up rather suddenly as you pretend to rub the sleep out of your eyes.

“Morning.” You croak out as your throat is hoarse from all of the crying and screaming.

“Impeccable timing, spark,” Volt flashes you a grin before sweeping you into his arms, “how did you sleep?”

“Well enough,” You sigh in contentment as Volt settles you in his lap, “you?”

“Perfect, since you’re lying next to me.”

You warmly laugh before you lazily extend your hand to Eddie. Your eyebrows crease as his eyes don’t meet yours.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” He answers before pivoting the topic away from himself, “you sure you’re feeling alright?”

Shoving an innocent person off of a fucking building isn’t nothing, Eddie.

“I was a little hurt after last night,” You turn your head away from them in shame, “but I’m okay now.”

“Live wire, we know you didn’t mean what you said.” Volt tries to comfort you by running his hands up and down your side.

“You heard me?” You whisper in horror. “Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

Two of Volt’s fingers lift your chin up so he can interrupt you with a kiss.

Apologies with these two will always go like this. You say something hurtful, and they forgive you before the words even leave your mouth.

“Don’t worry about it.” Eddie grabs your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours. “You’re here. That’s what matters.”

Enough with the sappy shit! Tell them what you saw last night.

“I saw what you guys were working on,” You say as Volt rests your head on his chest, “and I want to help.”

“You do?” Eddie looks at Volt, who simply pecks the top of your head.

“If that’s what you want-”

“-It is. It’s all I’ve ever wanted,” A devious smile appears on your face, “but you have to let me use a knife.”

Knives are your favorite weapon. It’s so easy to slice open throats, or chop off fingers one-by-one, or rhythmically saw into flesh for the fun of it-

Oh, and the Ghostface costumes. Don’t forget those!

“We can arrange that, can’t we?” Volt’s gaze lands on Eddie once more.

Eddie answers with a small kiss to the back of your hand.

Yes. It’s always yes when it comes to you.

“Friday, then?” Your other hand comes to rest on Volt’s knee as he laughs.

Aww, it almost sounds like you’re planning an actual date. How sweet!

“Eager, are we?”

“Always.” You’re grinning when Volt decides to attack your face with a swarm of kisses.

You’re snorting with laughter before Eddie wraps his arms around your middle.

“We’ll figure something out.” He mumbles into your ear.

Friday? That’s too far away, but the violence in your mind will have to satisfy you until then.

You let yourself unwind under their care and, for once, you do feel normal.

Ah, yes, normal, domestic bliss that’s splattered in blood, guts, and gore!