You didn’t wait- One shot Jake x MC
Once again, I wake up without much expectation for the day
I dragged myself out of bed, brushed my teeth, and tried to tame my hair into something that could pass as presentable. I put on the first clean sweater I could find.
Plim.
The soft chime of a message broke through the automatic rhythm of my morning.
I picked up my phone.
Eric: Good morning, sleepyhead! I got croissants from your favorite bakery. Eric: Thought we could have breakfast together. Eric: Love you <3
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Eric was perfect.
The perfect boyfriend. The perfect partner. The perfect friend.
Exactly what I needed.
I repeated the thought in my mind like a mantra, as if saying it often enough would make it undeniably true.
Two years had passed since Duskwood—786 days, to be exact.
786 days waiting for someone who never came back, someone who left without looking back.
Eric pulled me out of that self-destructive spiral, when we met by coincidence during another case I got involved in months later.
Without him… I didn’t even want to imagine who I might have become.
While setting the table for breakfast, the doorbell rang.
I glanced once more at the mirror but didn’t bother fixing anything else.
“Hey—” - The word died in my throat when I opened the door.
The man standing there was completely still, staring at me as if he had just seen a ghost.
“…Yes?”
He didn’t answer right away.
“I think you might have the wrong house,” I said finally, already reaching to close the door.
“No.” His voice was quiet.
Then he looked straight at me.
“No, MC. I’m not at the wrong house.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
“Have we met?” I asked slowly. “I don’t remember—”
“I wouldn’t blame you,” he said with a small, guilty smile. “It’s been a long time.”
And suddenly it hit me.
Jake.
My breath caught.
“…Jake?”
“I’m sorry, MC.” His voice cracked slightly. “I’m really sorry.”
The anger came all at once.
“How dare you…” My hands started shaking. “How dare you show up here after two years?”
My voice rose before I could stop it.
“Two years, Jake!”
The sudden silence felt suffocating.
A few neighbors were already peeking outside, curious about the noise.
“Come in,” I said sharply.
He obeyed without hesitation.
I closed the door behind us.
“I thought you were dead,” I whispered.
“It was necessary,” Jake said quietly. “I had to cut all contact.”
He looked directly into my eyes.
Something I had once longed for more than anything.
Now it only made my stomach twist.
“Necessary?” I laughed bitterly.
“For us,” he insisted. “I did it for us.”
“Us?” I snapped. “You did it for yourself!”
I turned away before he could see the tears forming in my eyes.
“Please don’t say that,” he said softly. “It wasn’t easy. It was torture not talking to you for two years. Every single day I had to stop myself from running back to you.”
His words hurt more than I expected.
“Jake… there is no us anymore,” I said quietly. “It’s too late.”
His eyes slowly moved around the room.
The table set for two.
Pictures on the shelf.
A man’s sweater hanging by the entrance.
“How long?” he asked.
I sat down heavily in the chair.
“Seven months.”
Jake exhaled slowly.
“Was it that easy?”
“What?”
“To replace us.” His voice was sharp now. “You didn’t even know if I’d come back, and you moved on anyway.”
“Don’t try to blame me for this, Jake!” I snapped. “Life moved forward. And so did I.”
“I can see that.”
“You don’t have the right—”
“You’re not the only one who suffered, MC!” he interrupted, raising his voice for the first time.
The words hung heavy in the air.
“I know exactly how long those two years were,” he continued more quietly. “Because I was separated from you too.” - He ran a hand over his face.
“It felt like someone was ripping my heart out every time I thought about you.”
My chest tightened.
“There were so many times I thought maybe… one hour with you would be worth a lifetime in prison.” - He laughed bitterly. -“Five minutes even. Just seeing you. Touching you.”
He reached toward me, but stopped himself.
“That would’ve been enough.”
His eyes burned with emotion.
“The only thing that kept me going was believing that if I could lose my pursuers long enough… I could still have what I always wanted.”
“And what’s that?” I asked quietly.
“A life with you.” - He gestured around the room. - “But clearly… you’ve already built that with someone else.”
“It wasn’t easy, Jake. I waited—tirelessly—for a long time. I could have destroyed myself waiting for someone who might never come back. Eric saved me.” I said finally.
“Eric.” - The name tasted bitter when he repeated it. - “…Is that his name?”
I nodded.
“He’s kind. Loyal. Stable.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I met his parents last month.”
I looked at him helplessly.
“You can’t do this to me, Jake.”
“If he’s so perfect” - Jake said quietly - “then why are you crying?”
The question shattered the fragile calm between us.
“Tell me to leave” - he said suddenly. - “Tell me to disappear from your life forever.”
“I should,” I murmured.
“Then look me in the eyes and tell me you’re completely happy.” - His voice hardened. - “And I’ll go.”
But I couldn’t.
I stared at the floor instead.
Jake sighed softly.
“Just like I thought.”
He stepped closer, gently lifting my chin.
“He’s good,” he said. “But he’s not enough. Right?”
My voice trembled.
“…Because of you.”
I placed my hand over his.
“It was always you.”
The guilt crushed my chest.
I had a boyfriend.
A stable life.
Plans.
Dreams.
Everything.
So why…
Why was I willing to throw it all away for him?
Our eyes locked again.
“I’m here now,” - Jake said softly. - “I can finally give you everything you dreamed about.”
His voice trembled.
“I can touch you. Kiss you. Hold you the way I always wanted.”
A painful smile escaped me.
“We can go on a real date,” - he continued. - “Go to the Chinese restaurant… or anywhere else you want.”
He swallowed hard.
“I’ll do anything.” - His eyes pleaded with mine. - “Just tell me you choose me.”
My heart pounded wildly.
Maybe I was stupid.
Maybe I was crazy.
Maybe both.
But no matter how painful the last two years had been…
It had always been Jake.
