Chapter Text
Over the last few weeks, things had been going surprisingly way better than they have been since... heck, probably since you moved out of your parent's house a few years ago. After putting on the dateviaters for the first time... Your life had suddenly gone from mundane at best and and panic attack inducing at worse, to the most exciting few weeks you have had in your life.
Sure, you were put in labor limbo pretty much immediately after getting the job that you desperately needed, and you couldn't leave your house at the risk of someone trying to steal the object responsible for the fact that you actually felt happiness from the real world, and not just the one that existed purely in your head. But you really could not find it in yourself to care.
For the first time since you can remember, you finally have friends other than Sam. In fact, you probably have more friends now than you've had from preschool to the day before the drone crashed through your window (You probably should get around to fixing that at some point).
Everyday you got to chat with your hangers when picking out an outfit, got complimented by your mirror in the mornings when you did your makeup, gossiped with your candle opera (that you still didn't remember buying), and you discovered there was a speak easy in your closet where a really bad Johny Cash impersonator (who was also your fricking shower) performed almost every night.
Plus, you had not one, but two amazing boyfriends who also ran the speak easy that is in your closet. (Your choosing not to question where it came from for the time being). You still don't know how you got so lucky to get to be with them both. Or why they even cared so much about someone like you who was so pathetic. But Eddie and Volt were both the best boyfriends you could have asked for.
So yeah, since you got the dateviaters, everything had instantly improved exponentially from where you were before. Well... almost everything.
Even though talking to all the furniture in your house was absolutely amazing, there were the times when it just, didn't feel... real. You would be chatting with your coffee maker, or magnifying glass, and suddenly that thought would pop up in the back of your head again, and your joy was clouded with that little seed of dread in the back of your mind. What if none of this is real? What if I just made this all up again?
The idea of it didn't even seem that far fetched, considering the situation. Like, seriously. Magic sunglasses that created sentient versions of every object in your house? If you told anyone other than Sam about this, though you still weren't sure if she believed you or was just pitying you, they probably would have stuck you in a psych ward and put you in a straight jacket by now.
Normally, reaching out and touching someone, disguised in a playful punch to the arm, bumping shoulders, "accidentally" grazing fingers against skin, or small, affectionate touches to your partners would help ease the thoughts a bit. The small, nessasary touches that confirmed that the person (or appliance) you were talking to was actually there. Still, your mind was on the edge of doubt constantly, but not as bad.
But in the mornings? In that moment of waking up and not seeing Betty's face, or hearing Diana's ramblings that made about as much sence as the stories and ideas you scribbled down on the pages that now decorate her dress? Opening your eyes, and seeing the bland and close to lifeless room around you when you woke up everyday, with you seemingly alone?
You felt gutted. Like someone had just taken a scalpel and a pumpkin carver, and just scraped everything vital out of you until you were just a deflated shell of skin and bones staring at an empty room.
Everyday, you woke up, and questioned if you were even sane anymore. If you had created so many fantasies over the years, that you could go several days walking around your house and talking to nothing without realizing. If all these friends you made were just inventions of your mind to try and take the pain away again after so many crappy things happened to you at once.
If you just walked into your closet every night, and were so lost in your own head, that you danced, and hugged, and kissed people who were never there in the first place. If you were just a crazy person sitting alone in the house that you can barely afford, with only one friend who kept in touch most likely out of pity, with no one who actually loved them anymore. Slowly losing your mind to a world you created in your head.
It made falling asleep every night and taking off the glasses seem less and less appealing, to the point that Betty had to gently place a hand on your shoulder every night, and stare at you sadly as she guided your hand to the glasses and helped you pull them off until her hands faded from sight. You were grateful for both the fact that Betty kept this secret, and ripped the bandaid off for you.
It never made it any less terrifying, though, regardless of how much it helped.
When you woke up, the only thing that calmed you down was the sight of your glasses placed neatly in the middle of your bedside table. And even then, it took you a while to get to the point where you could actually turn your head and look for them in their usual spot. Because there was always the possibility, the one that rattled in your head everyday, that you would wake up, and the glasses wouldn't be there.
You were more than relived every time you were welcomed with the familiar sight of them, neatly in their place in the morning, always right where you left them.
Until they weren't.
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You open up your closet door with an excited smile on your face, grinning as you see the sign for The Breaker Box shining proudly next to the door to the club.
As you open it, you are greeted to the familiar sight of the bar packed with people, the faint smell of alcohol seeping in with every breath, and music filling the club with a joyous atmosphere. It takes you only a few moments to spot the vibrant glow of Volt's hair in the crowd, which has you matching his grin instantly.
"Live wire!" Volt greets you happily, his eyes sparkling with small crakles of electricity that reflected off his hair and into his irises. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit this evening?" He says, his smile practically splitting his face in half.
"You know me Volt, I wouldn't miss a Johny Splash preformence for the world." You grin, while Volt chuckles in responce.
"Yes, of course. As you know we only allow the best entertainment in this establishment." He jokes, pressing a kiss to your forehead.
You raise your eyebrow with a mischievous grin. "Oh? Then why are you on stage every night?"
Volt lets out an exaggerated gasp, placing a hand on his heart with an indignant look. "Eddie, can you believe this slander!?" Volt calls to the bar as you laugh at him, while Eddie rolls his eyes and walks over to you both, wiping his hands on a towel and throwing it onto his shoulder.
"Whatever they said about you, they're probably right." Eddie retorts, the corner of his mouth quirking up as Volt sputters, walking up to you and squeezing your hand gently in greeting.
"Traitor." Volt says, shaking his head, his vibrant smile betraying his true emotions.
You slowly regain your composure after a few minutes, your laughter slowly fading into a bright smile once more. "How have things been going tonight?" You ask, leaning against one of the tables despite knowing how much it annoys Eddie. (It's mostly just to see his cute annoyed look he always has on his face whenever you do it).
"It's been a decent night so far." Eddie replies as Volt slinks his arm over his shoulder. "The acts have actually been fairly decent so far and no one's gotten on my nerves yet, so I'd call it a mild success." Eddie says in a nonchalant tone, leaning subtly into Volt's touch.
"And by that of course, he means that tonight has been going splendidly, thank you for asking." Volt corrects with a grin. "How have things been on your end?"
You shurg. "Pretty much the same as normal. Me and Lyric have made a bit of progress with the mystery we've been writing, I managed to decode a full three sentences of what Daina was saying to me this morning, and me, Koa, and Mateo hung out together for a while before I came here."
"Well, that sounds delightful, Live wire." Volt says, just as the song playing in the club was starting to wrap up. "Welp, that's my cue." Volt says, pressing a quick kiss to both you and Eddie's foreheads before quickly rushing towards the stage. You let out a small laugh as you and Eddie watch him rush to the stage before the show starts.
"Should I get started on your usual?" Eddie asks, as you push off from the table and stretch out your arm out until it pops.
"That would be great, thank you, Eddie." You say with a fond smile, that Eddie matches easily.
"No problem, Live wire." He says, walking off towards the bar as you take a seat at your usual table by the front. You put your head in your hand as you listen to Volt introduce the first proformence of the night, and thank Eddie when he places a whiskey sour on your table.
You slowly nurse your drink as the night goes on, clapping when appropriate for the acts on stage, and make it to the third act before your attention starts to drift out of the bar and into your head. You snap out of it and manage to clap just as the fourth act wraps up. And your head unfortunately decides to stay disassociated throughout the rest of the acts. And when the music starts drifting through the speakers again. And all the way until a loud clap in front of your face makes you jolt, and quickly snap back into the present, where Volt is staring at you in concern.
"Are you feeling okay, Live wire?" He asks staring at your face with furrowed brows, as if searching for something.
You shake your head a bit rubbing your hand over your eyes. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just, you know, spaced out for a bit. I'm fine." You stutter out, growing more and more nervous under the scrutiny of Volt's concerned gaze.
"For a half hour?" Eddie asks, startling you again since you swear he wasn't there before. Eddie and Volt share a look, making you and I into yourself. You really didn't feel like having this conversation right now.
"I- s-sorry, I just, I-" you fumble for words for a bit, before Volt places a comforting hand on your shoulder.
"It's okay, Love. Just take a deep breath for me, and then you can tell us what's going on, ok?" Volt asks gently, rubbing his hand into your shoulder in small circles. You nod, taking a few deep breaths to collect yourself. "There we go, better?" Volt asks, and you nod, taking one last breath in before speaking.
"Sorry guys, I've- Ive just been a bit out of it today." You say, focusing on the feeling of Volt's hand on your shoulder. He's real. You remind yourself. Their both here, you can feel them, they're both real, and they will be tommorow. You repeat the words over and over, as if that will help convince you more.
"A bit?" Eddie asks, with a skeptical eyebrow, earning a kick to the shins from Volt.
You sigh. "Okay, a lot out of it." You feel guilty about the fact that you still haven't told either of them, even though you haven't been dating for that long. You just, really didn't want to bother them with your problems, and didn't want them to constantly worry about you over something that sounded a lot worse on paper than it was. Even though you knew that was a lie. "I think it's just because I didn't get enough sleep last night." Because I was questioning whether or not I've been hallucinating all of my friends and partners these past few weeks and don't want to wake up and find out that neither of you are real people.
Eddie and Volt shared a skeptical look before sighing. "You're sure that's what happened?" Eddie asks, clearly not buying the story.
"Yeah, that's all it is, I swear." You say, before standing up and stretching, plastering a smile on your face. "Speaking of which, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I'll see you both tomorrow?" You say, as Volt stands up from his kneeling position on the floor and brushes off his pants.
Volt smiles at you, still with a hint of concern lingering on his face. "Goodnight, Live wire. We'll see you tomorrow." He says, pressing a light kiss to your lips, the small staticy feeling that you have grown used to by now lingering on your lips even as you pull away, and move to kiss Eddie as well.
"Goodnight Eddie."
"Goodnight, Spark. And a least try to get enough sleep tonight? Because if I'm going to pretend to believe you, than at the very least you need to promise to take care of yourself tonight and not stay up too late, okay?" Eddie asks in a serious tone, making you hide your guilty expression with a small smile.
"I promise, Love. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" You call over your shoulder as you rush out of the bar, catching one last glimpse of your boyfriends before you head to your bedroom, plopping down on the bed with a shakey sigh.
At some point, Betty helps ease the glasses off your face again, and you plop backwards onto your pillows, staring at the place on the table you keep your glasses in and sighing. Eventually, you drift off into unconsciousness, after reassuring yourself several times that Eddie and Volt would be waiting for you in The Breaker Box the next day. And that everything was going to be fine.
And, to your credit, you were right about one of those things. You just wouldn't know that by tomorrow.
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When you woke up the next morning, you were admittedly surprised at the fact that you had managed to keep your promise to Eddie. Mainly because it was currently eleven am. A good three hours later than when your alarm was supposed to go off.
You're more than a little panicked by this, mainly because the online job you managed to find last week, the one you were desperately relying on to help pay rent this month, the one you had only just been hired to two days prior after several days of interviews, started two hours ago.
Frantically, you throw your blanket off your legs, jumping out of bed to grab your phone off the table, and then, freezing.
The dateviaters are not on the table.
You stare horrified at the empty spot on your table, feeling like the world has come to a screeching halt as you notice the absence of the glasses. You quickly rip the blanket off your bed, throwing both It and your pillows off the bed and shaking it out, growing more and more panicked as the dateviaters don't fall out of the blanket.
You dive to the floor breathing heavily as you search under the table, your bed, and the entirety of your floor, only to find the absence of the glasses.
You open up every drawer in the room, tear open the closet, search through your bathroom even, but the glasses are no where to be found.
Your room is a mess, opened drawers either hanging all the way out from the dresser or torn out completely and discarded on the floor. The small cat alarm clock is hanging by the cord over the dresser, a small dent in it from when you swept it off the dresser in your panic. the contents of your closet are scattered all over the room, from dumped out boxes of holiday containers, to books, to your clothes, and hangers. Your diary sits opened on the ground, a small hole in your wall from when your threw it there with a scream of rage, panic, and desperation.
You were shaking on the ground now, hyperventilating as you gripped the hair on both sides of your head and pulled, leaning down into the pillow you threw at the floor and screaming into it, tears pouring out of your face and hair tearing as your fingers rip into it.
You don't know how long you stay like that, but eventually, you sit with your back to the edge of your bed, your hair disheveled, your face red and sweat clinging to every part of your body. Your legs are hugged to your chest, and you look around the room at the mess you made. You feel a small wave of guilt come over you as you take in the state of your room. You probably just hurt a lot of the dateables, Wallace definitely having some sort of wound from the hole you put in the wall, Timothy definitely had at the very least a nasty bruise, and Betty was probably pretty shaken up by your out bur-
Your train of thought stops abruptly, your mouth falling into a small, oh, shape. For a moment, you do nothing, just letting the silence of the room take over you, before you whisper-
"None of this... Was real..." Your met with silence, because what else would you expect from an empty room?
You let out a small laugh, humorless, and manic. "None of this... Was fucking real." You laugh, a fresh stream of tears dropping down your face. You keep repeating the phrase to yourself to fill the silence, barely leaving room for a gasp of breath between each one.
"None of this was real. None of this was real. None of this was real. None of this was real."
For once in the last few weeks, there is no one else in the room to help you now.
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Eddie woke up with a jolt in the morning, a scream, echoing just below the sound of a normal speaking voice, rattled the walls of the small apartment in the back of The Breaker Box. (Or at least it did in Eddie's mind.) Volt was a much heavier sleeper than him, barely opening his eyes a crack and grumbling as he slowly sat up, not yet conscious enough to process what had woke him up. Eddie didn't wait for him as he sprinted out the door, tearing down the stairs and running through the club towards the source.
When Eddie opened the door, he was met with the shock of Betty standing outside the closet door, looking out of breath and terrified, clutching her arm like it was hurt. And by the look on her face, and the strain in her voice, it definitely was.
"Eddie -" She said, hissing in pain and leaning against the wall, while Eddie quickly shot forward to try and figure out the problem. "It's the human."
Eddie's eyes widened in horror, the scream echoing through his mind over and over again.
"Tell me what happened."