the episode “beyond the sea” of black mirror, but make it steddie.
steve harrington, loving husband and father to two kids, is sent on a mission to space. he is tasked with monitoring and repairing the ship, ensuring everything is up to protocol.
when nightfall comes, he transfers his consciousness to his replica, which resides in california, so that he can spend time with his family.
eddie munson is the other person on board.
it’s a two man job, one that requires the both of them in order to maintain the spaceship, but in his free time, he transfers his consciousness to his replica on earth, to spend time with his wife, and daughter in hawkins, indiana.
what the two of them don’t realize, is how disconnected they feel from their replicas. the sex isn’t the same, their emotions are weak, and they are unable to experience the true meaning of life, cooped up in the spaceship, miles away from their families.
so they turn to each other.
it starts with the little things—steve brushing against eddie’s shoulder, eddie passing sneaking glances whenever steve’s not looking.
the only real human contact, is the contact they experience with each other.
over the course of six years, they start to catch feelings, start to rely on the electricity that courses through their skin whenever they touch, as the connection they feel with their wives are weak, not as strong.
when steve transfers his consciousness to earth, spends time writing songs about steve. hums the melody underneath his breath, waits for the man to return to his arms.
when eddie’s gone, steve draws. he draws so much it overflows from his notebook, spills onto the floor in a mesh of paper. there is one consistent factor about his art.
they didn’t mean to fall for each other, didn’t mean to live this double life—sneaking around, lying to their families—but they couldn’t help it.
people crave human connection, and whether it was forced conformity, or loneliness that led to their relationship, it doesn’t matter in their eyes
all they know, it’s that they love each other.
and that’s all that matters.