Duskwood & Moonvale one-shots

I'm sorry (Richy x MC)

Richy had heard more than once that the first sign of love is "butterflies in the stomach". Still, in his youth, he and his friends often watched stupid and not very stupid movies with the whole company. And his ex-girlfriend — the one who he met with before he started wark as the director of the family workshop — was a rather romantic person who adored such strange and generally accepted comparisons. Richy didn't really understand before. Now it seemed to him that butterflies had settled in his stomach. True, the butterflies turned out to be carnivorous and slowly devoured him from the inside for unnecessary feelings.

Every time Rose wrote in a group chat, something about the investigation, she shared new and new information obtained from a freaking hacker. The whole plan went to pieces already at the beginning, when it turned out that a small hastily, but rather carefully prepared performance was seen by some completely stranger. The phone then went out from hitting the ground, and Richy didn't even notice that Hannah was talking to someone.

Every time Rose sent a voicemail to their little branch of the chat dedicated to the legends of Duskwood, Richy's heart stopped for a moment, and these butterflies started attacking again. Like frenzied, they sucked all the juices out of young Rogers.

Every time he looked at a few photos in her profile. Thick dark curls, a yellow flower in her hair, freckles and this amazing, incredible smile. Richy couldn't look away, couldn't stop thinking and half-jokingly saying that yes, he was jealous when she received completely banal compliments from Phil and invitations to his bar.

Richy definitely felt something warm and bright towards this perky girl who appeared in their group somehow completely suddenly. Hannah just couldn't send a phone number, a receipt number, or anything else: not only was she on sleeping pills, but her phone was always turned off at his place or in Michael's basement. But Thomas claimed that it was Hannah who sent the number. Maybe — he always frowned at this thought — the hacker's tricks again? No wonder this guy always stayed in the shadows and kept in touch only with Rose. Maybe they are at all...

Richy definitely felt something warm and bright towards this brave and kind girl who selflessly helped a bunch of strangers with the search for their missing friend. But he still had to finish what he started. For Hannah's sake and a little for his own. After all, he didn't want all this initially, he didn't want Amy... Richy just wanted to do the right thing. At least relatively. At least after so many years. It's just that if something is planned, it must necessarily go wrong.

And now, as he sat in one of the tangled corridors of an abandoned iron mine, clutching his second mobile phone with his wounded hand, Richy felt how longing and despair squeezed his throat. Rose still hasn't dropped the call. She was sitting in one of the rooms of the forest house and looked into the camera, pressing her palm to her mouth. Large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Rose, his beloved Rose, was shaking with sobs, listening to the story about the accident with Jennifer, about Hannah and Amy, about his plan-an attempt to save at least one of his friends. Richy was just trying to do the right thing and change the situation, but in the end... Amy is dead, Hannah's mental state is shattered even more, Richy is physically injured, Rose is in tears, Jessy and each of their company is forced to heal psychological scratches at least. Richy wanted to fix everything, but he made everything several times worse. 

"How you..."  Rose muttered between sobs. "How could you... How could you do this to Hannah? To me?!"

"Rose..."

"How could you, Richy?! I... damn it. I can't believe it."

Her mood was changing faster than Richy could comprehend. Rose was crying, angry, trying to come to terms with what had happened. And she cried again. 

"Rose, I... Would you believe me if I said I'm sorry?"

"I... don't know. Maybe. But," she rubbed her eyes, "that doesn't mean I'm ready to forgive."

"Of course... I get it, Rose."

"And I'm not!" She suddenly jumped up, frowned. "I don't understand, no matter what you say! You could have gone to the police, just told them... But you decided to hurt everyone cared about you. All the guys, Hannah, your dad... At least me. Do you understand what that call with your "death" cost us?"

"I'm sorry, Rose."

"Richy, you... Damn it, I was in love with you! For the first time in my life, I felt it so vividly."

"You... Were you in love?" Richy shook his head. Maybe it just seemed? Maybe consciousness was slipping away due to blood loss after a very unpleasant injury? "With me?.."

"Yes. You know... I've been imagining coming to Duskwood one day. When it's all over, when we save Hannah from the creepy masked avenger. I imagined how the first thing I would do would be to run to the Garage to finally see you live. To confess not over the phone. I really imagined what it would be like if suddenly these feelings are mutual."

"And... how would that be?"

"We could talk for hours about old cars. I wanted to discuss so much with you! We could fix the ones that are brought to your workshop together..."

"Do you know about cars, Rose?" 

"I didn't say? My dad is a mechanic, I almost grew up in a garage. God, I'm lost." She closed her eyes. And even in the poor yellowish light, he could see how the eyelashes were trembling. "Hm... In the evenings we would go to watch the sunset or already the stars. We would be sitting somewhere on the edge of the forest, interlacing our fingers. On weekends, sometimes we would go to Rainbow for ice cream, talk, laugh... You know, I've been fascinated by your jokes from the first minute. If only these feelings were mutual..."

"Rose, in this whole situation... I don't regret just one thing. About meeting you. Your look, your voice, every joke... Oh gosh. In my soul, flowers bloomed and birds sang every time you spoke to me. Even if not for long, just for a few days, but you made my life a little brighter. I think I really loved, for the first time in my life."

"Richy... Then come out now. Tell Alan everything. I'm sure you can still find a way out! Everything can be changed! Please..."

But Richy just shook his head. It couldn't. Not now. A few days ago, when things didn't go that far, maybe... Maybe then it would be possible to correct, overcome with the help of love and friendship. It's too late now. Richy was a realist and did not even hope that now he would find a place in their company, in a whole tiny Duskwood, where everyone knew each other.

"Rose, do you know those movies about magical old cars that protect new owners?"  She nodded uncertainly. "I hope I'll eventually become a car like that and be able to protect you."

Rose understood. She always understood him.

"Richy!.."

"I love you. More than anyone in this life. I'm sorry, Rose. Goodbye."

The phone is turned off — so as not to generate unreliable doubts. So as not to flinch at the last moment. Now Richy could only be accepted in one place.

In the semi-darkness of the mine, the light of a branded lighter flashed.