KISS One-Shots

Paul and Ace

Requested by DemRosesBeRed ! This is the last one in the little series, I hope you liked it!!

I staggered back, clutching at my stomach, staring up at Ace. A look of horror spread across his face and the gun clattered to the ground as he clapped his hands to his mouth, eyes filling with tears. "P-Paulie! Oh no Paulie I'm sorry, I didn't mean-I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to do that!" he cried, catching me as I fell. "No, no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"W-we could've been happy. We could've been so happy. Why'd you kill him?" I choked. "We could've been happy." "No no I'm sorry, I'm sorry, we'll still be happy! You'll be okay, just...just hold on! Just hold on, you'll be okay! You'll be okay!" he said desperately, gently lying me on the ground, stripping off his shirt and pressing it against my stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. "You'll be okay, you'll be okay! We'll still be happy!" he said, forcing a smile, tears streaming down his face before he turned his head toward the doorway. "G-Gene! Help, help please I promise I'm not gonna hurt you, please! I-I accidentally...oh fuck I shot Paul, Gene help!" he shouted. "Please, help!"

"Ace..." I murmured, trying to reach up toward him, gently caressing his cheek and smearing blood across his face. "We could've been...we could've been so happy." He took my hand off his cheek, giving it a tight squeeze, still trying to smile, but his eyes were full of panic. "We'll still be happy! We'll still be happy, we'll still be happy! Just-just hold on, just hold on, we'll be happy, you'll be okay!" he said, practically begging me to stay awake.

Gene shoved him away from me, taking over. He balled up the shirt, pressing it against the wound, kneeling on it to try and stop the bleeding. "Keep him conscious," Gene said in a sharp voice, and Ace nodded, picking up my hand and clutching it. "It's okay, it's okay, you're gonna be okay, I'm so sorry, Paulie I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I d-didn't mean to, I never meant to! I'd never hurt you, you know I'd never hurt you, I'm sorry!" he wailed.

"Would you shut up? Keep him conscious and keep him calm!" Gene cried, giving Ace a furious scowl. He winced, nodding, more tears spilling over his eyes and rolling down his face. "You'll be okay, you're okay, you'll be okay," he said, over and over again. I stared up at him, tracing every line of his face, getting lost in his eyes. I could hear Eric and Gene talking, could hear the low murmur of their voices, but I couldn't make out the words.

Ace's mouth was moving, tears still pouring down his face as he clutched my hand, saying things over and over again to me. I couldn't hear the words, just stared at his face, feeling myself growing faint. The bright flashing of red and blue lights slowly entered my vision as the police and an ambulance arrived. Shaking my head, tasting blood in my mouth, I gave Ace's hand a weak squeeze and closed my eyes, allowing myself to slip away and drift off.

My eyes fluttered open and I winced, the bright fluorescent glare of the lights hurting my head. "Ace?" I mumbled, trying to sit up. "No no, no, don't move, just lie down. You need to rest," Gene said gently, putting a hand on my shoulder and lying me back down. "Wh-what happened? Where is he?" I asked. Gene let out a soft sigh, running a hand through my hair before patting me on the shoulder. "He's...he's in jail. And he will be, for awhile." "What? Why?" I asked, unable to think straight, still out of it.

"Because he murdered Peter, tried to poison Eric, and shot you. You've been unconscious for over a week. He confessed to everything," he said, eyes growing sad. "A week?" I whispered, and he nodded. "Y-yeah. You...well, he shot you in the stomach. You got sepsis, you were really sick. They weren't sure if you'd make it." I nodded slowly, closing my eyes. "Thank you," I murmured. Gene picked up my hand, giving it a squeeze, running his thumb reassuringly along my knuckles. "You're my best friend man, I...I really love you. I just want you to be okay. I'm sorry that you had to deal with all that."

"I...I still love him," I choked after a long pause. "I still feel like I love Ace. He's a murderer and I still feel like I love him." There was a brief silence before Gene let out another sigh. "Hey, Paul, listen to me. You've been through a lot in the past few months. It's gonna take you time to heal, both physically and mentally. But you're not going to have to be scared of Ace anymore. He's not going to hurt anyone ever again."

Nodding, I gripped his hand, lacing my fingers through his. "Thank you. F-for everything." He squeezed my hand again, leaving his in mine. We sat like that for a long time before I finally opened my eyes and looked at him. "Where's Eric?" "Asleep in the corner. We've both been here watching for you to wake up in shifts." I smiled, shifting with a wince enough to see the other side of the room. And sure enough, Eric was fast asleep in a chair, snoring softly. "He's a good friend." "He is," Gene said in agreement, before letting out a sigh, leaning over and kissing me gently on the forehead. "Try and get some rest. You still need to heal." I closed my eyes with a faint smile, finally feeling safe.

Months later, long after I had left the hospital, I made it to the prison were Ace was staying, seeing him for the first time since he had almost killed me. He gave me a sad smile from the other side of the glass, holding the phone to his ear. Heaving a sigh, I picked up the phone on my side. "Hey Ace," I murmured. "Hi Paulie. I...I'm sorry. I love you, and I let that love blind me. I'm sorry."

I stared at him, feeling nothing. "I don't love you. I can't love you anymore." He sat back, stunned. "What?!" "I don't love you anymore. Sorry. I don't know if I'll ever talk to you again. I don't think I will. I hope you have as good a life as you deserve, I really do. We're done. Goodbye, Ace," I said, rising to my feet and hanging up the phone. He didn't say anything, just watched me leave, expression unreadable.

I walked out of the prison, sliding into the passenger seat next to Gene. "Alright. Let's go home," I said, finally free.

A/N: If you have any one-shot suggestions you'd like to see, lmk!