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"The Blame."

"Grief is all I have left of you, so yes. I do hold onto it." - Unknown ~~~ Eddie x Volt x Avory Chapter 1: "Someone You Don't Know." Rating- M for Mature Content Warnings- Major Depression, PTSD, Overconsumption of Alcohol(Please drink responsibly), blood, minor injury Word Count- 9,785 AGAIN!!! SPOILERS FOR VOLT AND EDDIE'S HATE ENDING!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! Song One: "Bellyache by Billie Eilish." Song Two: "Free from KPOP Demon Hunters." ~~~

Chapter Two: Don't Suffer Alone.

T minus six days before her next trip to the Breaker Box to attempt open mic and mentally prepare herself for seeing Volt and Eddie again. She had six days. There was a lot that could be done in six days to prepare. For instance! Pulling her guitar out of the closet and trying to figure out what exactly she was going to play before completely giving up on the idea of an acoustic song or cover. With a groan she set her guitar on the ground next to the couch and sank into the cushions, a small smile tugging on her lips as she felt Koa’s cushions squeeze her in a hug and Mateo draped the blanket that rested on the back of the couch onto her shoulders just the way she liked it. “Thank you, boys.” she sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t know why I’m stressing out so much about this…It’s not like they’re going to pelt me with over ripe tomatoes if I sing something they don’t like.” She rubbed her face with her hand before leaning forwards and grabbing the Dateviators off the coffee table and putting them on, Koa giving her shoulders a squeeze as he pulled her into his lap and Mateo laid down with his head on her stomach, lightly rubbing his cheek against the soft pudge of her abdomen.

“I can’t believe I let those three talk me into doing open mic.” Avory groaned as she ran her fingers through Mateo’s fluffy hair. “I mean, the songs I usually sing don't fit the vibe of the club at all!” She said as she threw the hand that was buried in Mateo’s hair into the air in a show of exasperation. Her smile returned at the combined chuckle and laughter from Koa and Mateo.

“Johnny's cat wailing doesn't fit the vibe of the Breaker Box either, firestarter.” Dante pointed out from where he leaned against the chimney. “What! You know it's true!” He said quickly in defense when Avory twisted around to shoot him a half hearted glare of disapproval.

“Just because it might be true doesn't mean it needs to be said, Dante! He's gotten better and is continuing to improve.” She pointed out while twirling the ends of Mateo’s hair between her thumb and index finger. “Just like I've gotten better with pickup lines and the art of the pickup!” She added.

“You're naturally gifted with the art of the pickup! Johnny's…well…he's Johnny.” Dante countered.

“I look naturally gifted because I had an amazing teacher-” she started before the power flickered and went out for a second before coming back on.

The four of them sat in silence before Avory untangled herself from Mateo and Koa and headed for the office, pulling off her glasses when the three of them began to tell her to come back to the living room. She grabbed Tony from where he sat next to Dasha and made her way upstairs. He was quiet until he seemed to realize just exactly where they were going and it was then that he started to rattle and make noise in her hand.

“Ease up, Tone. I'm going to check on the two of them first. I know better than to do uninvited repairs after a power outage." She reassured with a light pat of his lid before setting him down on the ground outside the closet and opening the door. Without a second(or perhaps even a first) thought she put the glasses on and watched as the Breaker Box materialized in front of her. The open sign was turned but there was lack of music coming from inside that signaled that the light had just turned on. Which meant she had roughly twenty minutes before the regulars showed up to figure out what was going on with the power to the house.

“Avory! Our first customer of the day! What can I get for you today?” Volt asked as he crossed the floor in three long strides, his smile faltering as she held up a single finger.

“Before I mess with the living room breaker and make sure everything is snug I wanted to ask you if you knew what happened.” She said calmly with a no nonsense tone as she looked up into his silver eyes. Surprise flickered through his eyes before his own walls went back up.

“Whatever do you mean?” He asked with a smile as he played dumb, herding her over to the bar where he took a seat.

She remained standing.

“I mean the lights flickered and then the power for the living room went out for fifteen seconds before coming back on. That's not normal. Not normal at all. I know you and Eddie do everything you can to keep the house running and random power loss on a clear sunny day to a single room isn't normal. Please. I don't want bullshit. I don't want whatever display this is. I need truth and honesty from either one of you so I can head off a problem before it spirals out of control.” Avory stated, motioning with her hand at Volt when she told him she didn't want theatrics.

The two men were silent as they stared at her, Volt starting to bristle as the overwhelming urge to defend Eddie began to bubble up in his throat. But before he could say anything snarky or cruel, Eddie spoke.

“The breaker tripped because the wire has started to rust. I tried rerouting the power to the kitchen breaker as a temporary fix but it shorted.” Eddie said as he rounded the corner, drying his hands with a rag. “You know how to work on a breaker box?” He asked with his arms crossed over his chest, rag still clutched in his hands.

“I had an excellent teacher.” Avory said with a nod.

“We'll see.” Eddie retorted as he grabbed a tool box. “Come on.” He said before Volt could argue and protest.

The two walked in thick, heavy silence settling between them as Eddie opened the door for the back room where his side of controls for the house's electricity was. With crossed arms he stood off to the side and watched as Avory grabbed the voltage reader from his tool box and found where the power overload was and flipped the breaker off for that room and rechecked the heat from the wires and worked her way until she found the source of the overload. They worked in pure silence as she slowly rewired the good wires and replaced the bad ones bit by bit. Eddie's eyes were glued to her hands and she could feel the weight of Volt’s stare on the back of her head by the time she was finished. She wiped her forehead with the back of her arm before looking at her handywork. “I'm flipping the breaker back on.” She warned the two as she looked over at Eddie who was looking over at her work. There was a muted look of shock in his eyes, his lips pressed thin as he recognized his style of work in hers. He met her eyes and nodded once, still not saying anything to her.

With a deep breath in she turned the breaker back on and took a small back in case there was an arc. She knew there wouldn't be but it was always good to exercise a healthy amount of caution when dealing with electricity. When nothing sparked, popped, or exploded, Volt finally spoke.

“Where did you learn to do that?” Volt asked in a tone that was curious yet guarded.

“Like I said; I had an excellent teacher.” Avory said as she carefully put the tools back into the tool bag and zipped it closed before grabbing the straps and lifting the bag off the ground and handing it to Eddie's waiting hand. “I know you guys are used to doing stuff alone. Used to not getting help, not asking for help.” She continued as she turned to look at both of them. “I'm not expecting you to suddenly come to me anytime a breaker flips or a circuit shorts, but I want to help. I want to help you. Both of you. I want to see this club, this house, and you both flourish and succeed. I don't want either of you to burn yourselves out more than you have already. Everything is not fine as you claim it is, Volt. It hasn't been fine for a while, and that's not either of your faults. If it's anyone's fault it's my grandfather's for not regularly doing maintenance on the breaker box and my fault for not learning how to take care of one- take care of you and Eddie until now.” She continued, her tone even and calm as she maintained eye contact with Volt, watching his body language closely for any changes in it. He had always been the more expressive of the two. A blessing and a curse in some aspects.

Wiping her hands off on her sweatpants she looked over at Eddie. “How are you feeling after that repair?” She asked gently, her eyes quickly scanning him over for any signs of distress or discomfort.

Eddie met her eyes, uncertainty swirling in them. He stared at her for a few seconds before his shoulders shrugged up and down. “Fine. Better.” he said shortly before he and his tool bag left, Volt moving wordlessly out of Eddie’s way before he moved back to where he had been standing before. The two silently stared at each other before he too stepped out of the maintenance room, standing off to the side as Avory exited and closed the door with a firm click before the two walked over to the bar where Eddie was mixing three drinks. The open sign had been turned off and the door was locked, a sign stating that the club was closed for maintenance.

Avory sat down on a stool while Volt sat two stools down, both quietly thanking Eddie for the drinks. None of them seemed to want to break the silence, to ask the questions that hung in the air. Avory didn’t want to think of an answer that would make sense if they started asking for more details about how she really knew how to fix the issue with the fuse and breakers or why her style nearly mirrored Eddie’s style of repair. But eventually the silence would have to be broken. “Why are you really trying so hard to help?” Eddie asked bluntly as he stared down into the surface of his drink as Volt stared at the side profile of Avory’s face as she too stared into the surface of her drink, index finger tracing the rim slowly and methodically. “To right a wrong.” She said simply as she stared at the dissolving foam. At the cherry that seemed to mock her, tempting her to take a drink. A drink that would only lead to Farya being summoned to the club. “Many wrongs.” she added after swallowing thickly. Images flashed in her mind of the way the two regarded her with such hatred, such contempt. “You guys…You don’t deserve to suffer alone. You don’t deserve to suffer.”

A sharp and harsh barking laugh left Eddie as he finally looked at her. “And what would you know of suffering?” he asked harshly. He almost reeled back at the sudden flush of anger that filled Avory’s eyes and made her cheeks turn red. Almost. “Normally I’d give you an answer to that question, but I’ve learned through past sufferings that Volt will be at my throat faster than an arc can jump.” she said coldly as she stood up from her stool and walked to the locked doors of the club, twisting the overly complicated lock open on the first try and left without a second look behind her. Leaving behind two confused men who were staring at the now closed doorway as if it had just made a horribly corny joke.

They sat in silence for several minutes, neither quite sure what to say about what had just happened. Eddie looked down at her untouched drink and swore softly to himself as he grabbed it and picked the cherry out of it and threw the damned fruit away. “Fucking idiot.” he muttered to himself as he stared at the drink like it had insulted his non-existent mother. “You are not a-” Volt immediately began to try and chastise him before he was cut off by Eddie slamming his fist into the bartop. “I am! She just fucking saved me hours of work, saved you from pain for the upcoming days and not only did I treat her like she was the problem but I made her fucking drink wrong!” he snapped before the glass went sailing through the air and shattered on the wall near the stage, glass landing on the floor and liquid dripped down the wall. Volt didn’t say anything for a minute as he studied Eddie, the way his eyes looked like a thunderstorm, the way his shoulders heaved and shuddered as he fought to regulate his emotions. The lights flickered in the club before he finally managed to calm down, shame replacing the thunder that once swirled in his grey depths.

“Apologize to her when she next comes in. Apologize and mean it. Honesty seems to be the key with getting our little Livewire to open up and relax around us. And hopefully she’ll open up enough to tell us more about the sufferings she has been forced to endure.” Volt’s velvety voice rumbled as he stood up from his stool and came around the back of the bar, hands finding their place on his waist, chin resting on his shoulder. “If she even comes back.” Eddie muttered bitterly. “I will clean up. Go rest, dearest.” he murmured while pressing a kiss to Eddie’s cheek, a smile curling on his lips as he felt the tense and wound up male in his arms relax and nod in silent agreement.

The Dateviators were ripped off as soon as she saw Tony’s concerned face enter her peripheral. She didn’t want to deal with him. With anyone. She was too mad. Mad at herself. At Eddie. At Volt. She angrily stripped and flopped onto her bed, tossing the pink shades onto the nightstand before she rolled onto her back and let out a banishy like scream that turned into nonsensical sobs that only died down when she fell asleep. Hair sweaty, skin sticky, and chest heaving. Five days until the open mic.

Reggie hadn’t paid her an unwanted visit so she knew Volt and Eddie didn’t hate her. At least not yet. She stood with her hands braced on the edge of the sink as she stared out her kitchen window, Dateviators perched on the top of her head as she listened to the coffee machine hum and whir. She had slept in late that morning. She wasn’t sure if Timothy had even tried to wake her up after her melt down the previous afternoon but if he hadn’t she’d have to thank him whenever she felt ready enough to put the glasses on. She found herself humming what was at first a nonsensical series of tunes and rhythms before it began to morph into something that made sense as she began to tap her left index finger on the porcelain of Sinclaire.

”Sittin’ all alone. Mouth full of gum, in the driveway. My friends aren’t far, in the back of my car lay their bodies.” she sang as she watched the leaves sway and dance in the breeze. ”Where’s my mii-iii-iiind? Where’s my mii-iii-iind?” She continued, making it a point to ignore the dozens of eyes that she could feel but not see as she moved to grab her coffee when it was done brewing and added the perfect amount of creamer and sugar before she began to move over to the stove to make something of substance for breakfast.

”They’ll be here pretty soon. Lookin’ through my room, for the money.” She opened the fridge and grabbed two eggs from the cartoon along with a pack of maple cured bacon she had delivered from her latest online grocery order. ”I’m bitin’ my nails, I’m too young to go to jail. It’s kinda funny.” Stefan watched off to the side as Avory grabbed a nonstick pan and set it on his burner before she grabbed the bottle of olive oil she kept near the cook top. Not close enough to accidentally knock over but still close enough to quickly grab. Freddy wordlessly closed his doors as he and the others watched on. It was all they could do with her refusing to put the Dateivators on. Watch. And listen.

”Where’s my miiiind? Where’s my miiiind?” she continued as the stove clicked a few times before the spark caught and the fire came to life under the pan. ”Where’s my miiind? Where’s my miiiind?” She grabbed a plate down from the cabinet and set it delicately on the counter before closing the wooden door with the same amount of care, her foot still tapping on the floor as she kept her timing while she cooked. ”Maybe it’s in the gutter where I left my lover. What an expensive fake. My V is for vendetta, thought I’d feel better. But now I got a bellyache.” she sang with a bitter eyeroll while cracking one egg into the pan and then the next. ”Everything I do, the way I wear my noose…like a necklace. I wanna make them scared, like I could be anywhere. Like I’m reckless.” She set a lid slightly askew on the pan as she grabbed two slices of bread and popped them into the toaster and pushed down the lever.

”I lost my miiiind….I don’t miiiiind….Where’s my miiiiind? Where’s. My. Mind?” She got the butter and jam from the fridge, popping the door close with her hip as she set the containers on the counter and walked over to the other side of the kitchen to get a knife and fork out of the cutlery drawer. ”Maybe it’s in the gutter, where I left my lover. What an expensive fake. My V is for Vendetta, thought I’d feel better. But now I got a bellyache.” she finished, letting her words hang in the air as she listened to the faint popping of the oil and eggs in the pan before she lifted the lid and slid the eggs onto her plate, wiping up the extra oil in the pan before putting five slices of bacon into the pan and sealing the bag back up and putting it back into the fridge just as the toast popped up.

Soon she was sitting at the table with her actually decent and not burnt breakfast, doomscrolling on social media as she slowly ate her breakfast. After a few minutes of this however she stopped eating and stared at the wall straight ahead of her. “Would you guys be offended if I kept the Dateviators off today?” she asked the seemingly empty air. A series of quick rattles, clanks, and the popping of the fire was her answer. “Thank you.” she said a little more softly than she had before. Soon her breakfast was finished and the dishes in the dishwasher and she was on her way to the office to stare at the screen of her monitor for several hours without moving before she moved to the couch and mindlessly watched whatever shitty reality TV show Telly put on to try and distract her from the maelstrom that was her mind. She had her days like this. Sometimes they stretched on into weeks or even months and it was only now that she fully realized that the entire house had a routine and plan of action for when these days happened.

It made her feel fucking useless. Like a burden. She used to go to Eddie and Volt in the past on these days, sit at her table and nurse a few drinks before being served water or soda for the rest of night as they each took turns checking on her. But they weren’t there for her now to do that. She couldn’t go up there. Not yet. Not when her own emotions were still so mixed and dangerous. She didn’t want- didn’t need Volt to feed off of her emotions or misinterpret anything she said as an attack on Eddie.

She hadn’t even realized the Dateivator’s had slipped down her head and onto her face until she felt the familiar and comforting weight of Davi in her lap. The tassel hound wagging his tail as she began to run her fingers from the top of his head down his spine, mindlessly repeating this pattern as she continued to stare blankly at the TV screen. None of the living room objects dared to even move now when they realized the Dateviators had fallen into place on her nose. Avory sat there until the sun began to sink below the horizon and it was then that she took off the pink shades again and walked upstairs, not even casting a single glance over in the direction of the electrical closet as she landed on the bed, face down. And silently let the tears soak the pillowcase below her face.

Four days until open mic night. She sat in the center of her bed as she strummed slowly on the strings of her guitar, repeating the same cords over and over and over again as she stared at the wall between her two closets. Her chest ached, stomach gnawed at her ribs. Her eyes were heavy and mind slow. She knew she was wearing the Dateviators thanks to the rosy hue that her room had been bathed in, but she didn’t see any of the bedroom objects. Or if she did see them she didn’t acknowledge any of them.

After another three hours of this, Celia called a house meeting downstairs in the kitchen. She stood by the large bay window behind the two armchairs with her arms folded behind her back as she did a silent head count of all the household objects before they narrowed. “Where is Volt and Eddie?” she asked calmly, her voice cutting through the thick and tense silence like a freshly sharpened knife. A low murmur went through the crowd as heads turned and moved to see if they were just hiding in the back of the crowd, but when that turned out to not be the case Tony began to walk towards the staircase. “I’ll get ‘em, Mayor.” he promised with a respectful tip of his hard hat before jogging up the stairs, ignoring Stella’s noises of protest as he took them two steps at a time. His steps faltered as the soft strumming of Avory’s guitar greeted him halfway up the stairs. But he fully stopped when he saw Volt and Eddie both standing a few feet away from her door. “Ah! Just the two strays I was lookin’ for! C’mon, Mayor Celia is waiting for you two down in the livin’ room.” he said with a cheerful smile. A smile that faded when the strumming of the guitar stopped and the soft creak of Avory’s bedframe as she got up and soundlessly walked over to the door and opened it.

It had been only two days since she left the Breaker Box in a storm of anger and she looked like absolute shit. Her hair was an unbrushed mess, undereye bags dark. Her nail polish chipped and fingers bleeding from strumming on her strings without a pick for nearly twelve hours straight. The dead eye stare she gave Volt, Eddie, and Tony was…unsettling to say the least. No one spoke as her eyes shifted between the three outside her door, her blood smearing on the wood as she finally moved into the hall and pulled the door shut behind her, her fingers running along the wooden surface before she went downstairs and into the kitchen, ignoring the three sets of footsteps that followed her down. The living room went silent at the sounds of people coming down the stairs, a few people peeking their heads into the hall to see who it was coming down. Volt and Eddie wordlessly entered the living room while Tony followed Avory into the kitchen. Silence continued to stretch on in the room as Avory moved around the kitchen, smearing blood on every surface she touched while she got a whiskey glass out of the alcohol cart and a bottle of whiskey. Setting the two items on the top of the cart she went over to the coffee maker and got her vanilla syrup and then drifted over to the fridge to get a bottle of lemon juice out along with her heavy cream and 2%.

She didn’t even jump when a warm hand carefully took everything out of her hands and guided her to the kitchen table where Tyrell and Farya cleaned her hands and wrapped her fingers. She silently stared at Eddie’s back as he made her drink for her. “Pumpkin, what was that song your gram used to sing to you when you were sad?” Betty asked gently as she came up behind Avory and tried to brush out the knots in her hair. “I don’t want to sing.” Avory muttered. “I want to get drunk and forget everything.” “What are you trying to forget, sweet thing?” Betty soothed as she untangled one knot and began on another. “I know you don’t want to forget everything, so what is it that you’re trying to forget the most?” She continued to stare at Eddie’s back as he began to make the foam for her whiskey sour. Her shoulders slumping slightly as her mind grew heavier and heavier. “Are you trying to forget whatever boy has had you cryin’ almost every night for the last couple of months?” Betty asked softly as she tried to kickstart the conversation that needed to be had.

A silent shake of the head. “I don’t want to talk about this right now, Betty.” she muttered while taking the glass when Eddie offered it to her. “Thank you, Eddie.” she murmured without looking at him, taking a long and slow drink of the whiskey sour. Was this the best thing to be drinking on an empty stomach? Probably not. But she didn’t care. “You’re welcome, Avory. I wanted to-” Eddie said with a small shake of his head before stopping when she raised a hand for silence. “Don’t.” she said thickly. “Just…don’t. I can’t deal with the guilt of being given apologies I don’t deserve today.” she muttered, finishing her drink in record time. Instead of letting him make her a new drink she stood up and shuffled over to the bar cart and poured straight whiskey into the glass and stared out the window as she nursed the glass of warm amber. “I’ll go back upstairs so you can have your house meeting.” she muttered, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and walking over to the stairs, Dorian coming out of the living room and standing in front of her. The two stared at each other in silence before Dorian knelt down and picked her up like she was a small child and carried her upstairs, her head resting on his shoulder as she stared at the base of the steps where Hoove and Timothy were looking up at her. She closed her eyes and let Dorian carry her back to her room.

Three days until open mic night. All the curtains were closed in the house and not a single light was on as Avory moved through the downstairs, going to the fridge for a glass of water to soothe the migraine that was making her head spin with every small noise. Popping some Advil and chasing it with water she grabbed a banana and stood over the trashcan and peeled it. “Here you are, Cam.” she murmured as she dropped the yellow skin into the empty bag before breaking it into pieces and slowly eating it while standing over the trash can in case she got full or her stomach decided to forcefully expel all of its contents. But thankfully neither happened and she finished the banana. Her migraine had become a soft throb behind her eyes that faded away to just a small ache in the back of her head after she took a long, hot shower.

She hummed softly as she pulled her clean laundry out of the dryer before she finally thought of the song she was going to sing, smiling a little at the pile of clean clothes in her plastic non-Harper hamper. “Clarence, I have an idea.” she declared calmly as she carried the plastic basket on her hip and up the stairs, pretending to not feel the dozens of eyes on her as she went back into her room. “Everyone who isn’t Clarence: Out. You too, Hector.” she said as she set the basket on the foot of her bed and grabbed the Dateviators from her nightstand and put them on. Much to her relief everyone had left when she asked them to, Dorian included. Clarence was sitting next to the basket of clean clothes, helping her to fold them as he waited for her to share whatever idea she had. “I would like you to sing with me at the Breaker Box’s open mic night.”

Open mic night. The last two days had been spent practicing and practicing and practicing the song the surprise duo was going to sing. Clarence was relieved to not be back in the laundry room so soon with Harper, and Avory was relieved to have finally picked out a song.

The Breaker Box was as slow as it had been last week on Tuesday much to Avory’s relief. She wore a long overcoat over her outfit, keeping it hidden until it was time for her and Clarence to take the stage, her mp3 in hand for Volt to hook up to the speaker system when the time came. “Avory! Clarence!” Volt’s voice rang out as the tall male made his way over to the two as they both entered the club. Clarence wasn’t wearing a long overcoat but his outfit was hidden under his usual attire, the male looking over at Volt and giving him a smile. “Hello, Volt! Glad to see the Breaker Box is as lively and welcoming as it was the last time I was here!” he smiled as he did the weird handshake and back clap guys did with Volt when he got close enough. “And we are glad to have you back! And you’ve brought Avory!” Volt grinned, turning that radiant smile of his to Avory, the woman giving him a small almost embarrassed smile as the memories of her last trip to the Breaker Box went down. “More like she brought me.” Clarence said as he pulled away from Volt and wrapped an arm around Avory’s shoulders. “Asked me to sing with her tonight.” he added, not seeming too offended when Avory gently shrugged his arm off of her shoulders as she stepped forward to hand Volt the mp3 player.

“I hope you don’t mind.” She said with a small, hesitant smile. She was trying to get a feel on Volt after her mini outburst the other day. He didn’t meet her at the door and kick her out, which was a plus and he did seem genuinely happy to see her standing next to Clarence when the two walked in. “Of course not! Duets help to bring soul to a song, to give it depth. To sing two sides of the story at once!” Volt beamed as he whisked her over to the bar and away from a bewildered Clarence who started to follow after the two before he was pulled away by Betty and Amir, the two wanting to catch up with him after he had been in the laundry room with Harper for so long.

Avory put up little fight as Volt guided her to a seat at the bar that was away from the main hustle and bustle of the club, her eyes moving between him and Eddie when the dark haired male walked down to join them at their end of the bar with an already made drink in his hand. “How are the repairs holding?” She blurted out when she saw Volt open his mouth to speak out of the corner of her eye, her eyes fixed on Eddie as she looked to him for the answer. He blinked at the rudeness of her question and the intensity of it. “They’re holding up well. There’s been a small flux here and there but nothing too alarming.” Eddie said with a small shrug as he set her glass down in front of her. She finally looked away from him and down to the drink in front of her. “This isn’t a whiskey sour.” she commented as she grabbed the glass and looked down at the pink liquid in the glass. “A cosmo?” she looked back up at Eddie and tilted her head a little. “Bev said you like fruity drinks. Look, if you don’t want it I can throw it out-” he began to reach for the drink in her hand before she reeled back like he had burned her hand, drink clutched protectively against her chest. “No! I’ll drink it! I just wasn’t expecting you to change what I got.” she said a little sharply before her expression immediately softened. “Sorry, I don’t mean to come off as ungratefu-” she started before the clicking of Volt’s tongue next to her ear stopped her.

“What was it that you said to Eddie the other day? Oh, yes. ‘You can’t deal with the guilt of apologies you don’t deserve.’ He doesn’t need an apology, if anything he needs to offer you one, hmm?” Volt hummed as he shot his partner a stern and firm look out of the corner of his eye. With a soft groan Eddie let his shoulders slump and hands rest on the counter. “I’m sorry for being a complete and total dick last week when you helped to fix the breakers. It was uncalled for and…And in all reality I’m grateful you were stubborn enough to help us, even though we were trying to give you the boot. And you came back.” He started off somewhat collected before he began to ramble, his hands jerking back and forth on the counter as he spoke, only stilling when Avory reached across the bar and placed a warm hand over his rough one. “I came back.” She echoed softly as she pulled her hand off of his now that he was grounded and focused again, sitting back down on her stool seemingly unaware of Volt’s foot on the lower bar of it to keep it from tipping over when she leaned over the counter. “It’s going to take more than you being a douche bag to drive me away.” she said with a smile to show she was joking. “It takes a lot in general for me to give up on one of you guys.” she continued as she swirled her drink lightly in the glass before bringing it to her lips and using it as an excuse to think of what she’d say next. “Well, it didn’t take a lot for me to give up on Rebel…I know there’s more to her than she’s letting on, but she’s just so…”

“Gross?” “Crude?” they both supplied at the same time, Volt now having a glass of water in his hand as Eddie leaned on the counter. “Perverted. I mean, it’s one thing to be hypersexual; Sophia is a perfect example of that. But Rebel…It’s like she started off doing it as a joke but it’s just spiraled out of control.” Avory said with a shrug of her shoulders. Amps, she was starting to get hot. The sooner she and Clarence did their piece the better. She did not feel like sweating to death in her breaker box tonight. “Sophia has an off switch. If Rebel has one it’s probably up her ass.” Eddie let out a short laugh while Volt choked on his drink next to her, water spraying onto her cheek and neck. “Shit- I am so sorry, Avory.” Volt immediately apologized as Eddie grabbed a fistful of napkins and set them on the counter. “It’s alright, Volt.” She said with a shake of her head as she grabbed a couple of napkins and began to dab at her cheek and ear where the water was annoying her the most. She was so focused making sure no water got in her ear she didn’t feel Volt gently moving her hair back so he could dab up the water on her neck.

Without even thinking, she was up and out of her stool so quick that her foot got caught on one of the rungs which sent both her and the stool careening towards the ground. Her hands reached out for the edge of the bar in an attempt to catch herself and as her fingers gripped the edge of it a warm hand was placed onto her back and pushed her forward and upright at the same time Volt brought a foot down on the bottom bar of the stool, shooting her into his chest. Her forehead connected with his chin as the rest of her full forced body slammed into him, an arm coming around her and holding her securely as his other hand gripped the edge of the bar so he didn’t go backwards from the unexpected weight that had been launched into his chest at Mach-Avory.

The sweet smell of ozone hit her nose and out of pure reflex, out of pure habit…She relaxed fully into Volt’s chest. She quickly snapped out of it however and pulled away from his chest but wasn’t able to go much further than that on account of his arm around her waist. “Are you alright, Avory?” Volt asked with a surprising gentleness in his voice as he studied her face for any signs of discomfort or pain. “I’m alright.” she said with a nod, suddenly painfully aware of how close their faces were. Green met silver.

Her lips were slightly parted, a flush dusting her cheeks as she gazed into his eyes. If he had a heart it would be in his throat. There’s something in her eyes, something just below the surface that’s refusing to break above water. Something on the tip of her tongue. He can see it from the way she swallows, her labored breathing. He moved his arm so he wasn’t holding her in an one armed embrace and instead his hand was now on her waist as he and Eddie both carefully returned her stool back to the proper position, his hand slowly and naturally pulling away from her waist the further she got from him. He found himself missing the feeling of her under his hand and against his chest. Silver met tungsten.

Eddie had one hand on the very back of her stool as he helped Volt guide it back to where it was supposed to be. His hand brushed against her back when he pulled it away from the seat, his throat closing slightly when she leaned back towards him as if she was chasing his touch. Her reaction to being so close to Volt was expected, predictable almost. Volt just had that effect on people. They never chased after Eddie, never wanted him. “You sure you’re okay? Your foot got stuck on the stool rung.” he asked while pulling the rag out of his pocket and wiping up the spilled cosmopolitan that had gotten knocked over in the chaos. Tungsten refused to meet green. Refused to meet silver.

His eyes darted from the counter and to his hand when he felt two fingers gently press on the back of his hand. Avory carefully took the rag from him and adjusted her position until her eyes met his. “I’m okay, Eddie. I’m a tough one. I’m sorry for knocking over the drink, but from what I was able to have it was delicious. Made perfectly.” she reassured with a gentle smile. This…This was such a sharp contrast to how she had been last week when here, or even a couple days ago. “I’ll have a new one ready for you once you and Clarence are done with your set.” he said, reaching out slightly to take the rag back from her, only to watch her pass it to Volt who carried on wiping up the mess. “Once I’m done with my set I’m heading to bed. I have to meet Holly at the asscrack of dawn.” she declined with a slight shake of her head. “But thank you. Really.” Her voice was soft, her eyes warm. Her smile genuine. Something tickled in the back of his mind but it was gone before he could try and figure out what had caused it. “The next time you come by, the drink is on me.” Eddie stated as he walked behind the counter once more and to the other end to make drinks for the other club goers. Tungsten ignores silver and green.

They both watched as Eddie walked back to the other end of the bar, Avory palming Volt a twenty without the dark haired male seeing the exchange of currency. “I suppose I should find Clarence and wrangle him backstage.” Avory said after a few minutes of surprisingly comfortable silence. Her mask was back up, but it wasn’t as opaque as it was before. It was lowered just for them. Only for them. Silver met green.

“I’ll find him, Avory, don’t worry about tracking him down.” He said with a shake of his head while standing up and offering his hand to her. “I do look forward to hearing the piece you’ve chosen to sing.” he added as she took his extended hand into hers. The contact caused a small zap to pass through them both, an angry throb starting on her shoulder and traveling down her back before wrapping around her ribs made her tense a little. Volt moved to remove his hand from hers at the wince but stopped when her fingers wrapped around his wrist. “It’s alright…I just wasn’t expecting the zap. I should have expected it, given that you’re the electricity that flows through my house.” Avory reassured him, her shoulders relaxing as she saw the relief flicker through Volt’s eyes. “Yes, that is something that’s easy to slip the mind, isn’t it?” he asked with a playful smile, letting her pull her hand away. “On occasion.” She retorted with a playful shrug of nonchalantance. “It’s easy to forget at times…” she said in a more somber tone as they walked through the crowd. When they got to the curtain that hid the stairs to get backstage, Volt spoke. “Avory-”

“Livewire.” she cut him off as she looked over at him. “You can call me Livewire.” It was impossible to not smile at the look of accomplishment that made him puff up slightly with pride. “Livewire, I am honored to know that you feel comfortable around me to know that you forget that I’m electric in almost every sense of the word. And I swear to you that I will never betray that trust.” he promised, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

”I knew I shouldn’t have let you in…What the fuck do you know? Get out! GET THE FUCK OUT!” ”He said LEAVE!” ”No more warnings…Don’t let me find you around here again.”

The smile she gave was a little more shaky than the last, her throat tightening as those angry, hate filled words swirled around her head. “And I swear to you that I won’t betray your trust. Yours or Eddie’s.” She promised softly as she gave his hand a squeeze before letting go and walking through the curtain and up the four steps to the wider space where extra equipment was stored for the performers. She avoided the third step and pulled off her jacket and set it on a dusty speaker before touching up her hair and making sure everything looked alright.

She heard the curtain shift and the sounds of two footsteps coming up the steps and turned around. “Be careful of the third step, it’s loose.” Both she and Volt said at the same time, the two making eye contact over Clarence’s shoulder before she broke it and stood off to the side as Clarence peeled off his outer layers to reveal his outfit under his clothes. She was wearing a burgundy halter top that nearly matched her hair, the scoop neck cut of the top not revealing much of her cleavage just the very tops of it, a matching flowy skirt that stopped at her mid thighs, and the same pair of small pumps she had worn her time at the club. Clarence was wearing a grey dress shirt under his jacket along with his usual red capris. She pretended like she didn’t feel Volt’s eyes glued on her as she gave Clarence’s hair a small tussle, making sure everything was to his standards before she looked over at Volt. “We’re ready.” she said with a small smile.

”Take take take. That’s all everyone in this ungrateful house ever does!”

Avory closed her eyes as Volt went on stage to announce them, not even opening them when Clarence wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. “Hey, it’s okay. We got this. It’s a small crowd today and at this point we could sing this damn song in our sleep.” He reassured her, clearly thinking that her sudden change in attitude was because of a last minute case of stage fright. It wasn’t, but he didn’t need to know that. “You’re right…We got this.” Avory said while smiling up at the male before focusing on the sound of Volt’s voice.

“Good evening, you scofflaws and ducky whatsits! Do we have a show for you tonight! Please help me welcome to the stage our very own Clarence and Avory for their open mic performance!” he smiled brightly, his voice echoing effortlessly through the club as a relieved sigh was heard all throughout the club. They were spared from Johnny for the moment. Well, at least for however long the duo's song was. Volt hopped off stage as the lights dimmed, only brightening when the instrumental for the song began to play, the spotlight shining on Avory as she brought her mic up.

”I tried to hide but something broke. I tried to sing, but couldn’t hit my notes, the words kept catching in my throat. I tried to smile, I was suffocating though.” She turned to look over at Clarence as he walked on stage, his mic at his side as he stood in front of her. While his face was most expressionless, his eyes were supportive and reassuring. Nonverbally trying to coach her through nonexistent stage fright.

”But here with you, I can finally breathe. You say you’re no good, but you’re good for me. I’ve been hoping to change, now I know we can change.” she sang, a smile coming to her face as she took practiced steps back, Clarence slowly starting to walk around her, both of their paces relaxed and unbothered. ”But I won’t if you’re not by my side.”

Avory brought her hand up to her chest and held it just below her collarbone as the two continued to walk in slow circles around the stage, Clarence walking backwards. ”Why does it feel right every time I let you in? Why does it feel like I can tell you anything?” her hand clutched at her chest, the material of her shirt scrunching slightly and causing the bottom to rise slightly. Clarence’s eyes darted down before looking back into hers as they continued walking. ”All the secrets that keep me in chains and all the damage that might make me dangerous- You got a dark side, guess you’re not the only one.” a relaxed and playful shrug as she let her hand fall back to her side as they both came to a stop, standing a foot apart. ”What if we both try fighting what we’re running from? We can’t fix it if we never face it. What if we find a way to escape it?”

”We could be- Free-ee, free-eee.” she sang with that same relaxed smile as she raised her arm slightly, holding it out to him palm first, her hand never going very far above her thigh. ”We can’t fix it if we never face it. Let the past be the past till it’s weightless.” she sang as Clarence took a step back with a shake of his head, bringing his mic up as she lowered hers.

"Oooh, time goes by and I lose perspective. Yeah, hope only hurts, so I just forget it.” he sang as it was now him who walked after her in wide slow circles on the stage. ”But you’re breaking through all the dark in me when I thought that nobody could! And you’re waking up all these parts of me that I thought were buried for good!” he rapped while keeping his eyes solely on her as they came to a stop again, this time three feet apart.

Volt leaned back against the bar as he watched the two perform on the stage, not even looking over when he felt a drink lightly hit his elbow. He grabbed the glass and brought it to his lips as he watched them. “She knows about the third step.” he commented casually. “A lot of people know about it. She probably heard about it from Johnny or Amir.” Eddie said with a shrug as he cleaned a glass before setting off to the side. “I didn’t realize Clarence could rap. Granted he spends so much time with that weird ass Bat-Man body pillow when he’s not with Harper that there’s a lot he does that I didn’t know about.” he added before walking away to make another drink for Cam.

”Between imposter and this monster, I’ve been lost inside my head. Ain’t no choice when all these voices keep me pointing towards no end. It’s just easy when I’m with you, no one sees me the way you do.” he sang as they began to walk towards each other, Avory raising her mic once more.

”I don’t trust it, but I want to. I keep coming back to-” they sang in unison before walking past each other and stopping so both of their side profiles were in view. ”Why does it feel right every time I let you in? Why does it feel like I can tell you anything?” Avory was looking up as she sang, her empty hand reaching upwards as if she were asking a higher power for answers while Clarence was looking down in what looked to be conflict and shame.

”We can’t fix it if we never face it. What if we could find a way to escape it?” they repeated as Avory spun on her heel to look at Clarence’s back, her hand fully outstretched and reaching for him as he turned around to face her. ”We could be-”

“I hope they become a regular act. It’ll give us a nice break from Johnny.” Cam muttered to Jean Loo and Amir. Both nodded in agreement with the trash can. “Even if Clarence can just barely keep the timing.” he added, seemingly unable to stop himself from throwing a mean spirited jab at one of the performers. He knew better than to say anything negative about Avory around Amir. He had to go to the bathroom frequently to pick up the trash from that can and didn’t want any more trouble than was necessary.

”Free-ee-e, free-ee-e. We can’t fix it if we never face it, let the past be the past till it’s weightless.” they sang before Avory began to vocalize. ”Oohhh! So take my hand, it’s opeeeeeen!” Her hand reached out to Clarence again as her head tilted to the side, her eyes half closed. ”Free-eee, free-e-e.” he sang softer as a supporting vocal, letting her voice be the main focus of the song. ”What if we heal what’s brookeen?” she pleaded, a look akin to sorrow and desperation now making its home on her face as Clarence began to walk around her once more, but this time she stayed in her spot as she slowly rotated in place to follow him. On the occasion that she’d be facing the crowd, her eyes found Volt and Eddie’s before she was focusing on Clarence once more. ”Freee-eee, free-ee.” he repeated before coming to a stop and finally taking her hand as they stood in front of each other again.

”I tried to hide, but something broke. I couldn’t sing, but you give me hope.” her voice was lower, more subdued now as she sang, staring into Clarence’s eyes. ”We can’t fix it if we never face it. Let the past be the past till it’s weightless.” They sang softly with foreheads pressed against one another before the music came to an end. Avory pulled her hand out of his as she turned to the crowd, both of them taking a bow as the gathered crowd clapped and whistled. Volt was on the stage quicker than a flash as he stood off to the side, a wide smile back on his face. “Let’s give one more round of applause for the talented duo to send them off!” he said with a clap of his hands, Avory fighting the urge to roll her eyes as the clapping started right back up, her smile still firmly fixed on her face when Volt led them both off stage after announcing Johnny’s new persona for the night.

“I say…that was quite the performance. It’s been a while since we’ve had someone who can hold a note singing on open mic night, never mind having perfect breath control while walking around on stage.” he praised as the two set their microphones down on the little table. Avory went to grab her jacket, only to have Clarence snatch it up from her. “Nope, mine now. It’s dirty.” He said proudly. “Hello, Dirk.” Avory and Volt said in unison, one shaking her head and the other letting out an amused smile. “Hey to you two, too. Thanks again for hosting, Volt. And thank you for asking me to join you up there…It was a nice break from Harper.” Dirk said with a shrug and a smile. “Anytime, Dirk. I’ll be down in the morning to get you clean and away from her, but I really think the best thing for you guys to do is to have a clean split…This isn’t healthy for you.” She said gently, looking up as Volt came to stand beside her, a hand on her shoulder before she looked back at Dirk.

“She’s right. The way Harper treats you is not okay. We’re able to hear her screaming all the way in our flat above the club.” Volt said kindly yet firmly as he looked down at Dirk. “I don’t wish to see either of you hurt, and at some point it’s likely she’s going to drag Livewire into her delusions. And that is that last thing any of us want. Well, most of us. I think Rebel would rather enjoy seeing you be on the receiving end of Harper’s fury.” Avory nodded in grim agreement at this. “If that happens, I’ll be forced to take drastic measures that I’m sure none of us want to see done.” she said seriously as she looked at Dirk. “So please…Before it gets any worse, do what’s best for you. Not Harper. Best for you. Best for Dirk.” she said with a supportive smile. “I will. Thank you. Thank you both…This has been an eye opener for sure. This is the longest I’ve actually been away from her and it feels so…nice.” he said with one last nod and smile before he left down the steps and left the club.

“Avory, whenever you’d like to have an audience just know that our mic is always open to you.” Volt said as he looked down at the woman, giving her shoulder a small squeeze as she gave him a tired smile. “Thank you, Volt. Really. That means a lot to me.” she said honestly, painfully aware of how close they were. But Volt made no moves. The ball was in her court and honestly she was too tired to throw. “I’m going to head out…I saw Eddie swamped at the bar so I won’t distract him or Bev. Can you tell him I said bye and to stop worrying about the drink? Bev spills shit on me all the time. I’m used to having booze leaving my skin sticky.” Her grin would have been infectious had he not already been wearing one himself. “Of course, Livewire. I’ll walk you to the door.” He said as his hand went from her shoulder to holding his arm out for her. A gesture she gladly took as the two stuck to the edges of the crowd so they got to the exit as soon as possible without being stuck in conversation for two hours.

Betty was standing just outside the Breaker Box and was watching the two through the window with her arms crossed. “Have a lovely night, Livewire. We look forward to seeing you again soon.” Volt said with a real smile as he kissed her knuckles once more. “I’ll be back.” she promised, her eyes halfway drooped from exhaustion. “Take care of yourself. Please.” she said softly before leaving the club and vanishing with Betty. Her bed seemed to beacon to her and who was she to ignore its summons? Only a criminal would commit such a crime, and she was no criminal. For the first time in months she went to sleep without tears streaming down her cheeks.

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