Duskwood & Moonvale one-shots

Mistake (Jake x MC, ⚠☠️)

TW: suicide
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Jake only knew what Ruby looked like from her social media photos. He could have accessed the camera - even at the beginning of the investigation - without her even noticing. He could, but did not, prove his trust. Because when Hannah disappeared, Ruby was the only person in the whole damn world he could trust.

Jake thought he could at least protect her by refusing to talk to her. Thought it would be better this way.

This was another mistake.

When the situation was half a pinky better, when Jake admitted he couldn't continue to act reasonably alone, he used his skills and came to the door of the Ruby's apartment.

He knew something was wrong the moment the door just opened. Where is the usual caution of Ruby? Why did she just open the door in the middle of the night to a stranger in a hoodie? She didn't even ask who had come to see her or why. But when he saw her, it seemed to Jake that it was someone else, that he had the wrong address.

"Ruby?"

She was pale, with shadows under her eyes, and her hair was pulled back in a hasty bun. She looked just like him usual.

"Well, yes." Ruby nodded, a wild smile playing on her lips. "You never know who's hiding behind the filters in insta, do you?" she giggled.

Jake frowned slightly.

"Are you drunk?"

"As sober as a whistle," Ruby replied after a moment. Jake noticed that her gaze didn't linger on one thing for a second. "Come in already, you'll look suspicious to the neighbors."

Maybe she just thought he was someone she knew. She couldn't just call a stranger into the apartment, could she?

Ruby staggered down the hall, Jake following her. She collapsed onto the couch, arms outstretched.

"Ahh, good to see you, Jd... Jake. You're not what I imagined."

She spoke slowly, barely moving her tongue, and still smiling strangely.

"Are you okay, Ruby?"

"Oh, I feel really - ha-ha - good. I'm happy. What a caring hallucination. I want to sleep, glitch. We'll talk later."

What was happening was knocking the ground out from under his feet and the air out of his chest, so that for the first time, Jake could only watch in confusion as she poured a handful of pills into her palm, swallowed them...

"What do you do?"

"I become happy, I start to sleep normally... I worried too much, so..."

Jake approached her, touching her shoulders gently, as if she were a figure made of the finest glass. He looked straight into her eyes.

"How much do you take this, Ruby?"

"Almost six months," she said, looking away.

Jake flinched. That's about how long it's been since their last conversation. Was it because of him that she was hooked on this stuff? Heck! As a defender, he failed once again.

"You can tell me everything, Ruby. We will try to deal with this together, we will go to..."

"You're so cute," she said, standing on tiptoe and giving Jake a quick kiss that made him blush. "But who says I want to fight it? I'm fine with it."

"Ruby, it's not you who's saying this. That's what the pills say. Please, listen to me-"

"Do you know what I feel when I take this stuff? Nothing. Worries, nervous, feelings of guilt - all this is not there. It's like flying in zero gravity. You missed a lot, Jake. You were not there in the most difficult moments. It doesn't matter now."

Her words were harsh, but that only made them more true. Yes, he left at the wrong time. He'd left her alone to deal with the search, silent as she wrote, desperate for help, thinking he'd chosen the best tactic. He'd never been so wrong.

"I know I let you down then, Ruby, but please trust me again. Let me correct the mistake."

"You didn't let me down, Jake."

She didn't finish her sentence, but even from the look on her face, he could tell what she was trying to say. "You let everyone down." Ruby, group, Hannah. If he had intervened, things might have gone differently, they might have made it. But what difference does it make now? To fix something that could theoretically be fixed.

"I don't want to change anything, but I'll be glad if you stay," the same strange smile on her face. "I'll go to my room now, and we'll talk in the morning."

Jake was good with computers, but not with people, so he spent the rest of the night reading articles on psychotherapy, looking for information on how to help Ruby, who to turn to help. He had to correct this mistake. He needs to save at least Ruby.

When dawn broke, Ruby not left the room. Jake waited an hour, then another, and decided that he could look in on her cautiously. As soon as he did, the floor fell away from under his feet, and the world swam before his eyes in white spots. Ruby lay motionless, her long hair spread out on the parquet floor, pill boxes scattered around - empty. Jake knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her cold body. Something wet dripped from his eyes, falling onto her skin.

"Ruby, it doesn't have to end like this. Please open your eyes."

His voice is broken, shaky. Jake touched her hand gently and noticed that the Ruby's fingers were clutching a piece of paper. With some difficulty, he pulled the note free, trying to read the missive written in an uneven hand.

"Hey, Jake.

When you read this, I'll already be gone. You said me it earlier, right?

But I want you to know that I am immensely glad to meet you. It's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me.

To be honest, I don't have the strength at all. At first, the pills helped to cope with emotions, but recently they stopped saving. I tried to fight, but I was tired. Now I want to try to be happy. And I don't want you to suffer because of me. This is the only decision I make without hesitation. I'm glad I got to see the real you. Remember: it's not your fault.

P.S. I love you.

P. P. S. Answering the question you're sure to ask: yes, it was worth it. The risk of losing everything is nothing compared to what I experienced without it.

Goodbye.

Yours, Ruby".

Jake folded the note carefully.

"No, Ruby," he whispered, "it wasn't worth it."

His cheeks still were wet.