Ace and Nico are so important to me, man. Especially in AUs where Ace survives. Two people who view themselves as inherently unlovable and who started out hating each other coming together due to losing all trust with everyone else. It sucks and the air is full of tension and discomfort and fights happen at first. But then slowly they start realizing how similar the two of them are underneath the conflict. Their matching frustrations and anxiety towards the world around them, their clear desire to be understood by others and general lack of anyone who DOES. Their desperation to be HEARD, for someone to actually LISTEN and to CARE. And hell, the fact that both have seen each other at their absolute worst and can still get to a point where they can actually sit and talk in somewhat-agreeable conversations. Ones that eventually stop being somewhat-agreeable and become genuine and entertaining. Their initial hatred for one another morphing into a friendship, and potentially something else. Perhaps they get a little codependent with each other, but...they went through a killing game, you really think anyone's going to come out of it with their mental health fully in tact? Let them live.
