Duskwood // one-shot collection

Static on the Screen

• Jake's POV // no spoilers
• Genre: (kinda sorta) single character hurt/comfort, everyday live.
• Words: 1k

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With great focus and attention, Jake closed the apartment door, turning the knob ever so gently to ensure a quiet shut. The oppressive heat of the day was finally beginning to subside, replaced by a cooler, refreshing breeze. He took a deep breath of this fresh, crispy air that invigorated his senses, brushing against his face and tousling his hair as he glanced back at the door.

It was getting dark. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the pavement, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. As he stood on the doorstep, the dim glow of the newly illuminated streetlights cast an amber hue on the doormat beneath his feet. The sounds of the bustling city beyond reached his ears, a reminder that life was still happening all around him.

Strange.

In that very simple moment he actually felt a lot of things. The emotions that had been trapped inside him, like a deep lake beneath a sheet of thick, very hard ice, were finally beginning to surface. And when the door closed with a very soft click, the little spark that had been in him for some time, turned into a warm, soft, calm fire.

He smiled to himself as he let go of the doorknob.

Another step behind him.

He had been living as a free man for several years and his life was much more peaceful than it had ever been before. However, as he looked at the number 14 on the apartment door one last time, he thought to himself, no. This was not what he had imagined freedom should be like.

It wasn't freedom. It wasn't something worth... fighting for. There was nothing that would make him hesitate to close that door. He paused for a moment, still staring at that silly number as his mind wandered far away.

He was sure she cared for him... in her own unique way.

He didn't notice anything... malfunctioning at first. He loved her. After all, she was the one who gave him hope again! For her, only for her, he left his old lifestyle behind and wanted to change... for the better.

Was he better, though?

After their first, innocent fight, he thought that perhaps the stresses of everyday life had gotten to them. They had met under rather unusual circumstances, after all. People fight; there was nothing unusual in that, but... not like this. Jake couldn't help but wonder if they were two people who were desperately trying to make something work that was never meant to be. What had brought them together had simply ceased to exist, and slowly but surely, it stopped working.

It stopped working for him.

He smiled wryly as he realized she might not even realize he was gone. She wouldn't notice that all his things had disappeared... well, to be honest, there wasn't much anyway. The apartment still felt like hers. It was as if the walls themselves still belonged to her, and he was merely a guest in her domain. They had been living together for several years, yet he never quite felt at home there.

It took him a long time to realize that.

Much too long.

He chuckled to himself, recalling all the ridiculous moments he had simply given up. The times when he allowed himself to be pushed around or did things he didn't want to do. The times when he let her make him feel like he was nothing. Make him feel like a very insignificant part of her life.

They were brought together by a very big event, but it was a number of very small, commonplace, trite things that tore them apart.

Isn't it how it always works?

He had not expected that. Each and every day, his words like static on a screen to her, a noise she heard but didn't really listen to. And at the same time, she expected too much... much more than he could give her.

She only wanted him when she needed him, yet when he needed her, she was nowhere to be found. At first, he thought it was his fault - he even laughed at the idea that his secretive, introverted nature pushed her away from him and made her withdraw.

But he was wide open.

She knew his every weakness and took advantage of it. She forgot about his strengths.

It was her mistake.

One of many.

Jake knew he was good at a couple of things. Not every one of them was useful in his everyday life, though. Escaping was always one of his skills. He knew how to disappear completely without being found by anyone. Except... he knew it wasn't an actual escape. He wasn't really running away. He was simply... letting go.

Turning his back to the door, he took a deep breath and resisted the urge to glance at it one last time.

Another step done.

He wondered how quickly it would take her to notice he was gone. Well... this time he made sure she would notice him quickly... or rather the lack of him.

She didn't know the new wifi password, after all.

She didn't know the new alarm code.

She also had no idea how to change those.

He was never really vindictive... well, maybe a little. Or maybe a lot, but only in some, particular cases.

Perhaps he messed up with every single device they had in the apartment he could.

The one last farewell present for her, to simply remember him by.

Maybe old Jake was talking through him a little. The one he forgot about. That guy had a lot of issues, but he never let anyone treat him like she did.

Seeing her face would be priceless, as she tries to figure it all out.

He petted the neighbor's cheerful, friendly dog for the last time.

Then he adjusted his backpack, threw away his keys, and put on his hood before coming down the last step onto the pavement.

It hadn't been easy, but he finally did it.

And just like that, he was free. After being sidetracked for so long, he had finally regained his focus.

Although he had been a free man for several years, he now felt like he was getting his life back - a true sense of freedom.