Duskwood & Moonvale one-shots

Fault (Phil x MC)

There are too many events. Too many bad things have happened for a few days. Too much for one person.

Everything seemed to have gone downhill the moment someone painted the sign of the  raven, that damn attribute of the damn legend, on the door of the Rogers Garage. Len remembered laughing at it and, with Richy, convincing everyone someone was just joking with them and nothing really bad would happen.

Then Lilly's video. And although Len could get Hannah's sister actions, she was pretty tired of blocking some people who refused to accept Lilly's words about the mistake.

The attack on Jessy. A hasty adventure as if someone saw her and decided to take the opportunity to show Len once again that it was not worth meddling in other people's affairs from the very beginning. The realization that she could only watch her friend's life being put in danger because of her made her growl and hit the wall, imagining that this was her enemy.

Jake's disappearance took her by surprise. Not that Len liked him. On the contrary: the interruption of one questionable contact made her breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in many days. But, probably, if she found out that he was arrested or killed, she would be upset. Just a little. So she still took part in the dubious #IamJake challenge and got into another trouble.

Who were the hackers who tried so hard to get access to her phone? FBI agents? Some kind of criminals? Oh, she could believe that it wasn't just government people who were after Jake. This asshole clearly knew how to find trouble on his ass. And share them with others.

But the worst of it is Richy. This nice guy with a sunny smile and an infectious laugh now looked like a shadow of himself. Will he open his eyes again? The chance is small, but there is.

And it was her fault again. She didn't stop it all, assured that everything would be fine… After all, she was also talking to Richy via video when he was attacked, so it was like a message to her again. A cynical, heartless message that showed that there was no line, that Jake had fucked up again.

Maybe she attached too much importance to it, maybe she wasn't the cause of the attack at all… But every time she closed her eyes, Len saw her friend's face distorted with pain and despair, and it drove her crazy.

So Len stopped sleeping, pouring cans of energy drinks into herself.

So feeling it all was just her fault Len almost settled in the Aurora, which was some kind of unnatural island of tranquility in the midst of the Duskwood madness. Perhaps largely because of the owner. Phil seemed calm, collected and responsible. And caring in his own way.

When only the two of them were left at the bar by closing time, Phil always went to the corner table where she read something on her mobile phone all day and drank coffee. He couldn't help but notice that she was pouring some kind of energy drink into a cup of Aurora Americano. Len hissed when he ruffled her hair, because this is the privilege of the chosen, but did nothing more. Perhaps because Phil became the chosen one from the first conversation.

"So, Len, are you ready to talk yet?" Phil asked one day, breaking the tradition of silent evenings. A low voice intruded into consciousness, stopping the descent into despair for a few moments.

"And what should I tell?"

"You can tell me why you've been interfering with all this for several days."

'Why?..' Isn't that exactly what should be clear?

"Because he was almost killed on my eyes? Because of my intervention, everything has gone so far?"

With each new word, Len's voice grew louder, she was almost screaming. Phil was still calm.

"And what, this habit will help you save Richy, my sister or someone else from this group of adventurers?"

Len shuddered and looked at him. Confident, calm, even with a kind of laziness, he sat opposite, running the tips of his long fingers over the table and the edge of the emptied ashtray, which glittered in the artificial reddish-purple lighting.

"Probably not. But it allows me not to think. Not to remember."

"So you run away, in other words."

Len clenched her fists and glared at Phil.

"That's just not necessary to nagging me."

She rose abruptly from the table and froze. Her ears were ringing, her heart was thundering in her chest, her breathing was out of control.

What?..

The world was spinning and floating. Len hugged herself, gasping.

"I…"

For a few moments the world was plunged into darkness.

***

A few icy drops fell on her face, making her awake. Lan opened her eyes, winced at the light that seemed too bright. She was lying on one of the corner sofas in the bar, right under the lamp. Phil was standing next to her with a glass of water in his hand and he seemed to be angry at her for the first time.

"What the heck were you thinking?"

He was almost growling. Len shook her head. What is it about? What was going on?

"You fainted when you tried to get out."

"I'm just tired. I need some energy drink."

"Your obsession on it has already brought enough troubles."

"I don't see any yet." Len winced again and sat. 

"You won't get rid of problems by running away from them."

"I'm not running away, I just need a break." She tried to get up, but Phil put his hand on her shoulder. "Stop teaching me life. Nagging Jessy if you really need to."

"I do when there is a need. Right now, you're acting even more reckless than my sister usually does."

"Well, as if you should be interested in it."

"I shouldn't. But I do."

Phil sat down next to Len, leaned back on the sofa. She was silent.

"Did I say before that I like you?"

"No, but I guessed." For the first time in many days, Len's lips twisted into a grin. "I wonder how many girls you tell that to."

"Maybe ten. In the day. Who knows."

"Idiot."

Phil smiled broadly.

"That's why you like me."

"And what makes you think that? Maybe I hate you at all. What you'd do if I said that?"

"I'd give you a pen and make you write 'I shouldn't lie.'"

Len laughed faintly. The idiot was right.