Duskwood & Moonvale one-shots

Be happy (Jake x MC)

Deep down, you knew that a relationship born on the Internet was doomed to fail. But the last thing you wanted to do was admit it, admit your friends were right when they said you were crazy to trust him. Especially since everything was fine at first.

When you saved Hannah, everything was fine. Jake gave up on his beliefs a little, trusted you enough to let you become part of his anti-social club and travel around the country with him in secret. And it was exciting... Jake was concerned for your safety and you, trying to do everything to make his state of perpetual run at least a little more comfortable.

Jake was the first man you started dating, but even so, you knew that a relationship was a collaborative effort - and you were ready to work on it. Drop real social contacts? Of course, it's dangerous - for both of you. Try not to go out unless absolutely necessary? Without problems. Yes, you loved a leisurely walk under the sun, loved to work in the park, the corner of eye watching the birds, children, thinking that someday it will all end and you and Jake will be able to safely go out, not hiding, just to spend time together. After all, he was just taking care of you and trying not to endanger you. You knew perfectly well that if you were careless, you would only become an instrument of pressure. And instrument, as you know, always break.

For these precautions, you were rewarded with Jake's closeness, his first timid hugs, and long late-night conversations with him. Despite all the difficulties, you were with each other, you were happy.

Or so you thought.

The rose-colored glasses were slowly cracking, but you tried not to notice it, trying again and again to glue the glasses together.

A few days ago, you moved to a another city because Jake thought his pursuers were on his trail. But once you unpacked all the few things you usually took with you, it became almost impossible to ignore what was happening.

You knew you could always go to Jake, give him a gentle hug, kiss him. You knew he would be distracted from his work and at first a little embarrassly, because he was not used to show of feelings, would answer you. Well, that's always been the case - until this last move. At first, Jake stopped coming to your with him room. You thought he was just busy, but one night when you had another nightmare - they didn't torment you as much as they did right after saving Hannah, but they didn't let you go completely yet - you left the room to drink some water and calm down a little. And then you heard it. Or rather, you didn't hear it. The second room, where Jake usually worked, didn't have the usual computer noise, so you opened the door a crack, peering silently into the darkness. When your eyes adjusted a little, you saw that Jake was curled up on the narrow, hard couch, not even covered. And it's already February!

Your lips trembled. Why didn't he come if he was going to sleep tonight? After all, it is not at all convenient here. And how long has this been going on?

You brought a blanket to at least cover him, Jake, with his light sleep, woke up.

"What are you doing here?"

"I... I had a nightmare, I was going to the kitchen, but I happened to look in on you," you stammered.

"A nightmare? But is everything okay now?"

You nodded uncertainly.

"Then go back, you need to get some sleep."

"And you?"

"I'll do some work. I need to check something out."

"Can I stay with you?"

"Don't need."

You decided that maybe this wasn't the right time, that you'd ask Jake first thing in the morning. But he left, slamming the door loudly, at first light.

Jake didn't show up for almost three days - by the end of that time, you were starting to feel like you were going crazy with worry. He didn't answer phone, he didn't read your messages, so you could only wonder what might have happened - on the first day. Gnawing nails on a seemingly forgotten habit and rushing around the room without being able to concentrate - on the second day. Powerless to cry, hugging a pillow, on the third day. What did you do wrong? Why did he leave and disappear? What if he was caught? If he needs help right now and you don't even know it? In an attempt to hide from your thoughts, you put wireless headphones in your ears, turned on the music at maximum volume. Jake found you just like that - in a crumpled T-shirt and in tears, with smeared blue mascara. When you saw him, you jumped up, hugged him impulsively, expecting him to hug you back, apologize for having to leave, tell you that everything was fine and you didn't have to worry... But he stood still and said nothing. At that moment, you thought he smelled strange. Anyone but Jake. You didn't want to believe it so much that you tried to convince yourself that it was just your imagination.

But more was to follow.

Jake wasn't paying any attention to you. He avoided all your touch, as if in an instant you had become repulsive to him. He hid from your words in headphones, not hearing or pretending not to hear your attempts to talk. He was disappearing more and more often, returning home with that strange smell. A two or so of times you thought you saw pinkish lipstick marks on his hoodie.

You thought it was.

It seemed to you.

It definitely just seemed like it.

You repeated these words like a mantra, but increasingly spent time, not busy with work, curled up and wiping tears with fists, harassing questions like what you were wrong.

One day, you realized that the tears were finally over and you went to Jake's room, where he was again sitting at the computer with headphones on and pretending not to hear the world around him. You saw that the headphones were not connected, so he heard you. You decided to start by checking it out.

"You know," you said shakily, "I went outside yesterday. And I think I was followed."

It wasn't a hundred percent lie. Every time you left the apartment, you felt like someone was following you around. Just yesterday, you didn't come out.

Jake didn't react, and you couldn't take it anymore. You tore off the headphones in one motion - he didn't even flinch, as if he was prepared for this.

"Just tell me, when did it all go wrong? When did you stop loving me?"

"I don't know. It's just that at some point everything changed. I no longer see you as the girl who charmed me with just messages."

He didn't even look in your direction.

You tried to swallow the lump in your throat, took a few ragged breaths, and almost wheezed:

"What part of me wasn't enough in this relationship?" he doesn't answer and you continued to wheeze. "You could have just told me, instead of tormenting me all these days and-" you put your hand on neck , where he had a strange bruise.

"It's not that easy."

"It's not that hard. Goodbye, Jake. Be happy."

He nodded silently, and you, carefully holding back tears, ran out into the corridor. You gathered up things, which immediately remembered, and left the apartment, slamming the door. You took the stairs two at a time until you were on the first floor. You sat down on the stairs, hugging yourself knees. You weren't crying, but your shoulders were shaking.

The rose-colored glasses had just crumbled into glass chips.

***

Jake ran his fingers over the photo that she had either forgotten or didn't want to take. Their only photo together is a selfie by Blackwater Lake. He turned the image down.

"Goodbye. Let at least one less asshole in your life. Be happy."