#kingconti

Ace didn’t like worrying about possibilities if he had no way of uncovering the truth of the situation.  It was a needless concern that he didn’t stress himself with, it would only serve to bring him down.  Yet when David went missing, he couldn’t help being concerned.  It was no secret to the others that they were intimate, but the precise details were always lost on them.  Ace liked to keep it that way, even if David sometimes bragged.  He had taken the downtime he had now to wander into the woods, and see if there was something he could find that would reveal information about the scrapper’s whereabouts.  He was concerned that David had picked a fight he shouldn’t have.  

The woods always seemed to repeat the same few trees over and over, providing nothing distinct in navigation.  Eventually, Ace knew, he’d find himself back at the campfire.  He was good at noticing minor details, small things that others would have missed.  He nearly missed the small gashes on the tree that definitely was not there before.  They were almost like claw marks, and Ace found himself curious enough to walk past the tree and into the forest behind it.

The trees were littered with these marks, getting larger and deeper into the bark of the trees.  At its heart, there was a well marked cabin, and Ace could instantly tell that the humble exterior betrayed an extravagant interior based alone on the door’s decorations.  He walked up to the window and pressed himself against it to look inside, seeing well cushioned couches and chairs, and mounted animals on the walls. Huntress doesn't do fancy, last I checked.

He gasped at the sudden grip around him, his first instinct to scream and try to free himself as he was lifted off the ground.  Strong arms were tight around his waist.

“Here I thought you woulda been happy to see me!”  

David?  Ace calmed down, looking over his shoulder at the man that was undoubtedly David, despite being much taller and stronger than Ace remembered.

“David?  Where have you been?”  

He was set down, turning to face David.  David wore obvious animal pelts around his shoulders, with brass knuckles that resembled teeth.  

“Been a little busy. Don’tcha worry yourself about it.  I wouldn't hurt ya.”  

There was the unmistakable terror of the possibility that David could hurt him; that David wasn’t a survivor they could count on anymore.  Ace watched David walk over to the door and easily push it open.  

“I promise ya, love.  I’m not gonna hurtcha.  Nothin’s gonna change between us, yeah?”  

Ace took a deep breath, slowly developing the characteristic smile again.  

“You had me worried.”  

The inside of the cabin was every bit extravagant as Ace expected.  It was more like a small mansion than any sort of simple cabin. The loveseat was extremely comfortable, and he found himself lying back in it.  

“How do you ever manage to leave a kinda place like this?”  

David laughed loudly, sitting on the other cushion and giving a wide, toothy grin.  

“You should know me by now!  Come on, love.”  

Ace shrugged, then resting his arms behind his head.  

“Touche.  I don’t think I’d wanna leave.”  

David’s grin grew devious as he wrapped his arms around Ace and pulled him close.  

“Who says you have to?”  

David shifted in the loveseat to have Ace lean against his chest.  David’s hand moved to turn Ace’s head to press gentle kisses against his cheek.  Ace let out a calm, deep breath, opening his mouth to speak when he felt the distinct sharpness of teeth bite into his neck.  He gasped quietly, looking over his shoulder at a smirking David.  

“I missed ya a lot, love.”  

David knew Ace well by now, and how the gambler liked a sense of control of situations. It sometimes struck him as odd; gambling and relying on luck seemed to be the furthest thing from that.  Yet, Ace did always tend to have Luck's favor, and come out on top.  He relied on that and himself, usually, despite now being on a team for survival.  Ace was reliable in strange ways, and was a man that valued his personal space too.  So long as he was actively helping the others, David was alright with Ace spending time alone, even if David wanted to be close.  

In trials, all bets were off.  David made sure the others got out alive, and if he had to drag someone kicking and screaming to the gate, he would.  On Lery’s, that was certainly no different.  The place was a maze, and he’d be damned if he’d leave anyone in it.  Certainly not Ace against the Doctor.  

David wasn’t quite sure why the Doctor focused on Ace so much.  What made him enjoy torturing Ace so much more than the others?  David found it hard to believe it was simply a matter of that ever present grin on his face.  That was always a thought he worried about later; the safety of the others was his top priority.

Laurie and Tapp stuck close together, while Tapp occasionally snuck close to the Doctor.  With Laurie’s ability to find the Killer and Tapp’s ability to find the generators and other key things, they made an effective team.  David liked to keep the Killer busy, while Ace tended to find the nicer things from chests and hand them to the others who could use them effectively.  When the Doctor decided to chase someone else and David needed to be patched up, he'd make sure to do so quickly.  

They had 3 generators done with David being patched up by Laurie when they heard Ace's scream.  It was loud, and sent a chill up their spines.  Laurie quickly tied the bandages, not able to say anything before David ran towards the source of the sound.  Ace screamed louder, and David could hear his voice starting to strain.  He ran as fast as he could towards the theatre itself.

Ace struggled to catch his breath as he lay on the metal grate in the center of the theatre.  The spiked mace smacking into his flesh still wasn’t a feeling he was used to, and likely wouldn’t ever fully acclimate to.  The Doctor had dragged him after sending electricity through his body and delivering a hard blow to his back.   His fingers had looped through the holes in the grate below him, holding onto anything to try and distract himself from the pain.  

The intense shocks made him scream in pain, the metal underneath conducting it further.  He screamed at the top of his lungs, clinging to the grate.  He hated the Doctor.  Every match against him meant the Doctor would try his hardest to hunt Ace down.  Each time he always heard the same whispering in his ears, trying to urge him to just give in.  

Each time, he refused it.  There would be no giving up for Ace; it wasn’t in his nature to accept someone else’s ultimatum.  His denial always got him the same treatment: torture by electrocution. It didn't happen often, but the few times it did were painful enough.  

He was limp on the ground by the time the shock faded.  His muscles twitched involuntarily, falling limply when the Doctor picked him up by his neck.  He weakly gasped when the mace impaled through his stomach. His eyes widened, staring at the Doctor in shock. The electrical jolt from the mace made him scream and convulse, despite the overall weakness.  He collapsed to the ground when the mace was removed, eyes shut as he fell on his side and grabbed the grate in his convulsions.

The Doctor rubbed his hands together electricity crackling between them.  Ace kept his eyes closed as he listened to the Doctor laugh.  He braced himself for another surge, yet one never came.  Instead, he heard the Doctor groan and strangely laugh in pain, then felt someone pick him up bridal-style and start running.  His head hung back; he couldn’t find any strength to lift it.  His muscles still twitched from the electrical “therapy”, the convulsions less painful but still uncomfortable and unsettling.  

He knew well he’d have burns again from the intensity of the Doctor’s shocks.  Was being sacrificed better, to avoid the lasting pain of the burns?  Whoever was carrying him certainly wasn't going to let that happen.  The pounding heartbeat faded; the Doctor had to be distracted with somebody else.  Ace hasn't even noticed the last two generators getting fully repaired. Even as far away from the Doctor as he was, Ace still felt the pain of the electrocution.

The exit gate was opened, and nearly immediately he was hearing the familiar heartbeat again.  He heard a man's scream, then felt the cool air of the fog.  Everyone else were more than likely doing better than he was. He was set down by the crackling fire, well aware of his chest heaving as he struggled to breathe.  He felt a hard pressure on his stomach that made him wince.  He blinked his eyes open, seeing David kneeling over him with his bloodied hands pressing on the open wound on his own stomach. Even with someone he cared about, Ace hated being at someone else's complete mercy.

He saw David's attention dart elsewhere and shout something lost on his ears as blood loss started to make him lightheaded. It didn't take long for Claudette to rush over with a medkit, deep concern obvious on her face.  Her touch was gentle and soft, but even that was too much for his liking. He couldn't properly squirm, only making a pathetic whine.  Bandages were wrapped tightly around his stomach, already working to help heal the wound.

This time David's hand was at the side of his face.  Why can't they just leave me be now?  He whined again, shifting in place and hoping David would stop pestering him.

“Oi, quit squirming.  You'll tear the bandages.”

Ace focused on his deep breaths. He knew he was going to be fine, but it still hurt unlike anything else.  He could feel his muscles still twitching from the electricity.  

“I’ll… I’ll be fine.”  

He winced when David wrapped his arms around him.  

“Don’t.”  

Just as quickly as he said it, he was gently set back down.  

“You sure you’re okay?”  

David sat next to him, obviously wanting to do more to help.  Ace struggled to nod.  

“Yeah.  Just, need to rest.”  

The Suffocation Pit, Ace knew, held a deeper story than what he was able to see.  A large group of workers buried in its depths, bodies probably still there under compact dirt.  Every now and then, the pits would be open, leading to a bloody basement with a cruel, untouchable shrine of hooks to the Entity.  The part that Ace always looked forward to was the chest, which tended to hold better things than the other chests around the area.  

However, he knew better than to immediately start looting, he had to at least do a generator or two, keep the Killer busy a little, and make a contribution to the team effort.  He knelt to work on a generator, hearing the distance whirring of a chainsaw.  That meant either Leatherface or Hillbilly, and the former didn’t usually have any reason to randomly rev his.  He was nestled into a corner surrounded by obstacles, so Ace was unafraid as he kept working.  

The match was going well for him so far, getting a generator up without any interferences, and calmly moving on to another.  There were only two left to do now.  Someone was either really skilled at juking the Hillbilly, or they were all hiding from him well.  Now was a perfect time to go looking for loot to bring back.  He slowly walked through the building that held the mineshaft, cautious as his heart started racing.  

He looked over his shoulder and spotted the chainsaw above the Hillbilly’s shoulder, charging straight at him.  Ace scrambled through the side entrance out of the way, hearing the chainsaw collide with the wall behind him.  The Hillbilly recovered with an alarming speed, chasing after Ace.  Ace just had to make it to the window, and he’d be able to lose the Hillbilly without issue.  He was halfway through the window when the Hillbilly yanked on his leg, making him hold onto the window ledge for dear life.  

The sledgehammer smashed into his leg, and Ace swore he could hear something shatter.  He cried out loudly in pain, using his other leg to kick at the Hillbilly and free himself.  He more or less fell from the window, holding his left leg that was most definitely broken.  The Entity normally didn’t allow that to happen, the chase was ruined if one couldn’t even run.  Being helpless like this was not something Ace liked, at all.  

Then the Hillbilly turned around and went elsewhere.  Ace grit his teeth in a forced smile as he watched the Hillbilly leave and his heart rate calmed.  He grabbed the window ledge to help him stand, any pressure on his left leg sent a sharp, agonizing pain through it.  Alive, at least.  Yet, he couldn’t explain why.  It was difficult to avoid the settling paranoia, there was no fixing his leg until he either escaped or died.  It didn’t take a genius to realize that.  He’d slow them down at best, and at worst, they’d use him as a distraction.  It depended too much on who it was.  

He hated it, having to watch his back for both survivors and Killers.  They could lead the Hillbilly to him, whether by accident or on purpose, and he had to stay hidden.  He walked around the rocks and other garbage in the way, heading back into the mineshaft.  He could find something to at least give his leg support, and be able to walk on it.  It’d be agonizingly slow, but it was better than the slow limp he was working with now.  He froze when he heard footsteps, hiding under the ramp that lead above the depths of the mineshaft.  

“Ace, I know you’re ‘ere.”  

Shit.  He kept a forced smile, even as his leg screamed in agony when he set it down.  David turned the corner, eyes narrowed on Ace.  

“You seriously lootin’ right now?”  

Ace gave a shrug.  

“You all were doing fantastically.  Thought I’d go and get something to bring back.”  

It wasn’t an entire lie, but not what he was doing right now.  David crossed his arms.  

“Riiight.”  

Ace’s attention darted to the pathway up as his heart started racing.  David moved under the wooden ramp, Ace pressed his back against the wall.  Through the wooden planks, they could see the Hillbilly walk above them and look around intently.  He walked past, heading to the window Ace had fallen out of earlier.  Ace shifted, the motion sending more pain through his leg.  He almost screamed, until David clamped a hand over Ace’s mouth.  

“Don’t move a single fuckin’ inch.”  

David shoved Ace behind him, keeping his grip on Ace’s arm tight and his hand over Ace’s mouth.  The Hillbilly walked back over to them, moving right past them and into the basement.  Ace stayed still, even as the Hillbilly came back.  Somehow, by some unnatural luck, they weren’t spotted.  Neither of them moved until their heartbeats started slowing.  David released his grip, putting his arms at his sides.  

“Thank fuck ‘e can’t see shit.”  

David started walking up the mineshaft, pausing when he heard a whine from muffled whine from Ace.  Ace held his leg, still keeping up a grin.  

“Sooner we leave the better, yeah?”  

David crossed his arms.  

“Yeah, s’always the case.  But, you can’t walk, can ya?”  

“Sure I can.”  

Ace took a step forward, wincing at the pain he felt.  

“Just gotta take my time.  I’m still standing, aren’t I?”  

Ace struggled to keep the fear from making his voice crack.  This was, by far, one of the worst situations he found himself in.  David rolled his eyes.  

“Sure, barely.  Don’t bullshit me, you’re gonna get caught if you keep trying to walk on that.”  

David, without warning, walked close and lifted Ace over his shoulders.  

“OW, hey!  David, put me down!”  

“Shut it, you’ll lead ‘im right to us!  Besides, I’m trying to save your arse instead of leavin’ ya to hobble slower than a damn snail.  Unless you feel like meeting chainsaw today.”  

Ace sighed.  Hard to argue with that.  He let himself fall limp as he was carried across David’s shoulders fireman style.  His leg still hurt, and any shift seemed to cause more pain.  

“Just, don’t let the others see me over your shoulders like a ragdoll?”  

“Fine, since your pride’s more important than your life.”  

He huffed, not really wanting to argue more.  He’d have plenty of time to piss off the scrapper when he wasn’t at his mercy.  He felt David shift, and heard the distant dings of generators coming online.  The gate’s switch lit up red.  

“Settin’ ya down, careful.”  

Ace nodded, leaning against the wall and staying off his left leg.  He couldn’t see it under the pant leg, but there was no way it was looking pretty.  He fought back whines of pain, keeping an eye out for the Hillbilly.  The gate slowly opened after blaring several times.  Using the wall as a support, Ace walked through the gate.  David crossed his arms, walking next to him.  

“Almost as stubborn as I am.  Th’fuck are you tryin’ to prove?”  

“Nothing, besides that I’m fine and can take care of myself.”  

“You’re a royal fuckin’ moron.”  

Ace couldn’t help a genuine, devious grin.  

“Aww, you think I’m royal.  Appreciate it.”  

David let out a drawn out, annoyed sigh.  

“It’s real damn tempting to beat the shit outta you.”  

“Sorry, I’m a little booked at the moment.  Maybe later?”  

David just shook his head as he walked into the fog, Ace following behind him.  When he reached the campfire, Ace let himself collapse next to it and let out a breath of relief.  His leg still hurt, but now he had the chance to look at it.  It was already a distinct purple color.  David walked over, eyes widening slightly.  

“Shit, didn’t think the Entity did broken bones that bad.”  

Ace simply shrugged, giving a pained smile.  

“I didn’t either, but.. Hey, the more you know, right?”  

“Sit still, I’ll get Claudette to try ‘nd patch that up.”  

Ace nodded, catching his breath.  Now that adrenaline wasn’t running through his veins, it was painfully clear how much damage the hammer did.  Claudette was in a sprint when she came over, kneeling beside him.  

“Oh, God, this looks really bad.  I’ll have to really put something together.  Just, wait here, okay?”  

In an instant she was gone, leaving David to sit beside Ace.  The latter let out a sigh.  

“Thanks.”  

David smiled, giving a light pat on the back.  

“Don’t mention it.  Would do the same any day, even if I wanna smack ya.”  

Ace leaned against David, laughing quietly.   

“I’ll try not to do that to show my appreciation.”  

Ace always refused to let things get him down.  He was clever enough to turn any situation in his favor, and always come out the victor in the end.  Even in the muck and swamp with the Pale Rose stuck in it, he had a plan.  Using the boat as a vantage point, Ace looked over the swamp, spotting a figure with mallet and chainsaw, wearing a yellow smock.  He was officially known as The Cannibal, but all the others called him Leatherface.  The Hag was a cannibal too, and it didn’t take long to figure that out.  

The chainsaw was always intimidating, especially with how he swung it around wildly, but he was all too easy to avoid.  He wasn’t a particularly mobile Killer.  Not like the Hillbilly, who also had a chainsaw and sledgehammer.  He’d feel bad, if Leatherface wasn’t trying to bash his skull in constantly.  He started working on the generator on the boat, as a generator lit up.  Someone brought a brand new part.  This trial would be a piece of cake.  

He listened for his heartbeat and the heavy footfalls as he worked on the generator.  The best way to handle Leatherface was to never get caught.  Another generator lit up, making his smile grow wider.  This is almost too easy.  But Ace wouldn’t pass up a free victory.  The boat’s siren blared loudly, starting all the nearby crows.  Ace took the opportunity to wade into the marsh, weaving between cattails.  Of course, he didn’t want to leave empty handed.  

The basement, for all it’s eeriness and unsettling decor, tended to hold a chest with very nice things inside.  At least, for Ace that was the norm.  He bounded down the steps, heading to the chest and digging through it.  He stood and pulled the medkit out, looking through it quickly to admire it and the badge on its front.  Nice medkit, should last a while.  He quietly walked back upstairs as his heart pounded.  Just in time to get this, too.  Leatherface stood at the stop of the stairs, glaring down at him.  Another generator lit up, but still Leatherface didn’t move.

“Someone’s a little bitter, huh?”  

He knew he shouldn’t be taunting a behemoth with a chainsaw and sledgehammer, but he couldn’t help it.  Things were going to end well, and he knew it.  If the Killer wasn’t upset before, he was most certainly angry now as he stormed down the steps to swing the hammer.  Ace sprinted past him, bolting up the stairs with a fancy new medkit in hand.  The last generator powered on, and Ace made his way to one of the gates.  

Leatherface was surely behind him, but he could dodge with pallets and fallen trees in the swamp.  He looked over his shoulder, turning to run to the nearest set of trees and pallets.  Leatherface was closer than he should be, meaning the Entity’s influence was involved.  The last thing Ace wanted now was to get hit.  Every second, the heavy footfalls seemed to be getting faster and faster.  

Ace jumped over the fallen tree, making a desperate dash for the exit gate.  He brushed past cattails, hoping to confuse Leatherface just enough to make it to the now open gate in the distance.  

The smashing pain in his ribs sent him sprawling to the ground.  He grinned despite the pain; he’d be able to get free before any hooks could be reached.  He was too close to the exit gate to be completely forgotten now.  Ace held himself up with his arms, eyes on the behemoth standing above him.  Leatherface never moved to pick him up, instead twirling the sledgehammer in his hands and striking Ace’s skull.  

Blood quickly started forming and running his face.  He was lucky that his sunglasses didn’t shatter, or that his skull had caved in from the hit.  Small mercies he was thankful for.  He heard the revving of the chainsaw, the sound echoing in his head.  He couldn’t see out of his left eye from blood running over it.  He saw the chainsaw lifted in the air, then suddenly drop as Leatherface roared in pain.  

“Fuck off, will ya?!”  

David’s voice was a relief.  Ace rubbed his forehead, getting to his feet as David wrestled for the sledgehammer in Leatherface’s hands.  He ran to the door, David delivering a last punch before turning to run to the exit.  He grabbed Ace’s arm, nearly dragging him along.  

“Move it, sunshine!”  

Behind them, Leatherface roared with fury.  They ran into the fog, David’s grip on Ace’s arm unrelenting until they got to the campfire.  Ace unceremoniously collapsed by the fire, still grinning at his loot this trial.  David knelt down, grabbing Ace’s collar and pulling his face close.

“Th’fuck runs through that thick fuckin’ skull of yours?”  

The sudden movement made Ace’s head pound.  He grabbed David’s wrists, grinning with an unintentional wink.  

“Being lucky as ever.  You see what I brought back?”  

“I don’t give a shit about some dumb kit over your fuckin’ life!”  

The shouting in his face was not helping the developing headache.  He couldn’t exactly open his left eye either after blood had dried over it.  

“I’m lucky you came to my rescue then, huh?”  

David scoffed, loosening his hold on Ace’s collar.  

“If you think luck’s got anything to do with it, you’re fuckin’ out of your damned mind.”  

David let go of his grip, nearly throwing Ace backwards.  He didn’t have to be a genius to realize David was pissed at him, both from the outburst at him and the way he still held his fists in a tight ball.  Ace took his sunglasses off, hooking them to the front of his shirt and wiping his eye.  

“Alright, I owe ya then.”  

Anything to get him to calm down.  Ace knew David cared about other survivors in his own way, but never had been yelled at for what he did in a trial, at least so badly.  Especially with intense injuries. Adrenaline had kept his ribs from crying in pain at every motion, but now it was starting to catch up.  David let out a deep, drawn out breath.  

“I’m not taking a debt from you.”  

David seemed calmer now, relaxing his hands but still glaring at Ace.  He held a hand out.

“Lemme see the damn kit, might as well use it to patch your arse back up.”  

Ace handed the medkit over without complaint, sitting still even as David wrapped bandages around his chest a bit too tight.  He couldn’t help a small wince.  

“Th’fuck were you thinking, taunting the fuckface with a chainsaw?”  

“You wouldn’t have done the same?”  

David let out a sigh with a grimace.  

“Different story when I fucking do it.  I’ve beat the shit out of plenty of pretentious fuckwits to know where to draw the damn line.”  

Ace just nodded.  Hard to argue with someone who would get into fights with Killers for the sake of others, and did know when to run or when to stand his ground.  Something about the silent resignation made David sigh again.  

“Listen.  I’m not mad at you.  More at the bastard who did it, but I can’t go find his arse to settle the score.”  

Ace knew that wasn’t just it.  David had a hot temper, but never acted out of the blue.  The tight grip on his collar before told him there was definitely a concern for his wellbeing present in the other.  Probably because I should know better, too.  The knowing look towards David made the scrapper glare again.  

“Don’t even.”  

Ace raised his hands in mock surrender, keeping quiet with a smug grin.  David gently took out a rag and wiped away blood from Ace’s temple, his right hand moving to Ace’s jaw to tilt his head upwards.  It stung, eliciting a jerk from Ace, and making David grip Ace’s face a bit tighter.  

“Can’t help if you keep squirming.”  

“Believe me, I’m not trying to.”  

David put the rag to the side, putting the medkit in the stash of items to take into trials.  Ace put his sunglasses back on, scooting back to lean against the log.  He rested his arms behind his head, looking up at the sky absently.  He felt David move up next to him.  

“Glad you’re okay, but if you even think about running off, I’m dragging your sorry arse back kickin’ and screamin’.”  

“I dunno about that, I’m hard to catch.”  

David’s arm wrapped around Ace’s waist.   

“I know plenty about findin’ people who don’t wanna be found.”  

Ace smirked, closing his eyes.  

“We’ll have to see about that, won’t we?”  

Even though David could give affection to Ace but if he wants it from Bill, he maybe not enjoy with it.