Dwight Stories Mostly

The campfire was roaring tonight, throwing off enough heat to make the campsite feel cosy for once. The atmosphere around the camp was celebratory, they had all escaped the trial mostly unscathed. Ace was feeling generous and had started passing around his tarnished flask, normally Dwight would pass, but there was something special about the night, and even he couldn’t resist taking a drink. Which he immediately regretted, coughing his lungs up as the foul liquid burned a trail all the way to his stomach, hitting like a bomb. God what could it even be? Moonshine? It burned worse than anything he’d ever drank, and he’d tried everclear once in college. 

David saved the flask from his hand, knee pressed against Dwight's, “You okay, mate?” He asked before taking his own swig, he grimaced, but of course didn’t look half as destroyed as Dwight. “The fuck is this Ace? Tastes like ass sweat.”

"Hey, that’s top-shelf premium stuff, King!" Ace chimed in from across the flames, flashing a lazy, very drunk grin as he leaned back against a decaying log. "Don't insult the vintage just because you two can't handle a little bite."

"Vintage my ass," David snorted.

Dwight wiped his mouth on his sleeve, shocked that he already was feeling a little fuzzy. He looked down, noticing David’s knee was still pressed up against his, a comforting pressure. He didn’t move away. 

The man is definitely brewing this shit in an old oil drum behind the shacks, Dwight thought, watching David pass the flask on to Leon. Whatever it is, it works.

A few feet over, Claudette was softly chuckling as she passed around bowl of popcorn, yet another mystery that Dwight wasn’t going to question when the bowl came his way. Sable sat cross-legged, practically radiating a manic energy. She was thoroughly enjoying the fact that she’d pulled off her invocations without getting her throat slit, and for once, even Leon looked relaxed. He had shed his tactical gear and sat in his shirtsleeves, watching the embers with a rare, genuine smile.

David let out a booming bark of agreement, the sound vibrating right through Dwight where they were touching. He reached over, clapping a heavy hand on the back of Dwight’s neck, squeezing with a casual fondness. "Told you, mate. Nobody gets left behind on my watch. Especially not you. You did half the gens yourself; I wasn't letting that flashy prick have the satisfaction." 

Dwight leaned into the touch just a fraction, his chest tightening with a warmth that had nothing to do with Ace's questionable moonshine. He had genuinely thought he was dead out there. The exit gate all the way across the map from his hook, the whole team healing in the entryway. And he wrote himself off, looking at the ground, waiting for them to leave and the entity to take its pound of flesh. 

Then David had shattered the brickwork, tearing out of the fog like a human wrecking ball. He had taken a blade straight to the shoulder, ripped Dwight down, and shielded him with his own massive frame all the way to safety. 

He actually came back for me.

The realization sent a dizzying pulse of adrenaline straight to Dwight's core.

David didn't pull his hand back from Dwight's neck. Instead, his thumb casually brushed against the sensitive skin right at the base of Dwight's hairline. A slow, heavy stroke that seemed to carry a lot of meaning. Dwight’s heart stopped for a second. Is this happening?

Dwight turned his head slowly, his glasses slipping just a fraction down his nose as his eyes locked onto David’s. The playful smirk on David's face faltered, his expression shifting as he caught the intensity in Dwight's gaze. The air between them turned suffocatingly hot.

They were doing this. Right now.

From the far side of the light came the low, steady murmurs of the camp. Claudette was quietly tending to a tear in Ace’s shirt, her fingers moving with practiced efficiency while Leon stared into the embers, exhaustion evident in the slump of his shoulders. A few feet away, Ace leaned against a decaying log, idly flipping a dull coin between his knuckles with an easy smirk.

Dwight didn't hear a word they were saying.

All he could think about was Trapper, as his own thumb repeatedly traced the contour of his bottom lip, pressing hard enough to make it throb against his teeth. He felt an echoing throb through his whole body, an unsatisfied ache.

Every time Dwight closed his eyes, his mind relentlessly replayed the surreal transition from running for his life to the strange intimacy Trapper chose to bludgeon him with. And the killer's unmasked face filled his mind. It wasn't just handsome; it was predatory. Those heavy-lidded, shark-like eyes and the way his mouth curled into that unnervingly sharp smirk made him look less like a man and more like a hunter who had finally decided to play with his food.

He’s terrifying. And he’s... god, he’s beautiful.

A spike of odd insecurity flared in Dwight’s chest. Part of him desperately wanted to ask around the camp, to casually slide into conversation with Leon or Mikaela to see if the giant had ever cornered them with the same intense bargain.

But he stuffed the impulse down immediately. No. If I ask, I might find out I wasn't special. I might find out it’s just a game he plays with everyone. Dwight kept his mouth shut. This was his moment, his bizarre secret, and he was going to hoard it in his own mind where no one else could touch it.

"Hey, Dwight. You with us?"

The words cut through his heavy thoughts. Dwight blinked, his hand dropping guiltily from his face as his focus snapped back to the crackling fire. Ace was looking at him from across the flames, the dull coin resting still against his knuckles, his easy smirk widening just a fraction.

"Yeah," Dwight stammered, his voice coming out a little too thin before he quickly cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I'm here. Just... unwinding."

Ace let out a soft chuckle and tossed the coin into the air, catching it with a crisp slap against his palm. "Unwinding? Kid, you look like you’re trying to solve the world’s problems. It usually doesn’t take that long for a trial to wrap up. Something happen?"

Leon shifted slightly on his log, flicking his head to toss his hair out of his eyes. "Trapper was on one today." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking oddly vulnerable having taken off his tactical gear for the night. "Usually, he waits for someone to make a mistake. But toward the end of the match, he abandoned a three-gen setup just to chase you down. It didn't make sense."

"Hey, a win is a win," Ace chimed in, flashing a lazy grin as he leaned back, with only a little resentment in his voice. "Good for you, Dwight. The fucker let me bleed out on the ground."

Dwight swallowed hard against a sudden spike of guilt, his cheeks heating up. Because by the time you guys were gone, he didn't care about the trial anymore, Dwight thought, his fingers curling tightly into the fabric of his jeans. He just wanted me. Maybe there was a little more pride there than there should have been. But it was so… unusual for anyone to pay him attention.

He could still feel the phantom pressure of those massive hands pinning him into the mud, the wet mud under his fingernails, and the exhilarating realization that the killer had completely abandoned the Entity's protocols the second he had Dwight at his mercy.

"I... I just got lucky," Dwight stammered, adjusting his glasses to hide how much his hands were trembling. "The hatch opened right by my foot after you guys... after I was the last one left. I barely slipped out in time."

Ace let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "The hatch spawning right at your feet? Kid, you should let me take you to Vegas if we ever get out of this place. That is statistically absurd. Lucky bastard."

Leon offered a small, reassuring nod across the crackling heat of the fire. "Hey, he did good, Ace. No hard feelings. Good job, Dwight." He rested his hands on his knees, his expression turning serious but determined. "We just need to tighten up next time. If we coordinate better, we'll all make it out."

"Yeah," Claudette added softly, finally setting her mending down. "We're just glad you made it back to us, Dwight."

Dwight offered them a weak, fleeting smile, his heart still hammering against his ribs. "Thanks, guys. I think... I think I'm just going to turn in early tonight. The match really took it out of me."