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Noah's first encounter with Duncan was on the dock of shame. He’d just arrived and his snarky comments caused the punk to threaten to pierce his lip. That should have been the end of it, but it wasn’t. They ended up fighting at lunch later too. This time it was Duncan who instigated. Noah had gotten an extra scoop of the strange red mush that was acting as sandwich filling.
“I saw that. He’s right, you know. You do need the extra scoop. Maybe you’ll actually gain some weight.” Duncan smirked.
Noah resisted the urge to throw his food at Duncan. “Then you should lay off of yours right?”
The punk sneered. “You calling me fat?”
“I didn’t say that.” Noah smirked, joining his team at their table.
Shortly after that they did the first challenge. Jumping off a cliff into shark infested waters. His team ended up winning, and then they won the follow up challenge to build a hot tub. Noah couldn’t help but walk over to Duncan in the aftermath.
“Guess you’re not the best at teamwork huh?” Noah told him.
“Tch. this wasn’t my fault. I ain’t the one who didn’t jump, and I ain’t the one who crouched on poison Ivy. So wipe that smirk off your face!” Duncan said.
“I’ll wipe the smirk of my face when you prove you deserve my respect.” He said. He doesn’t know why he’s pressing Duncan’s buttons. There’s just something he likes about his reactions.
“I’ll show you respect!” The punk snapped, readying a first. Noah should be scared, but he isn’t. He almost feels excited about getting such a big reaction from him.
“Duncan quit roughhousing with the other team! In case you hadn’t noticed, we lost!” Noah turned his head to see the speaker was one of the bass. He thought her name was Courtney?”
Duncan put him down and turned to his new target. “And who’s fault is that?”
Noah took the opportunity to slink away. He had a good time at the party that night but he did go to sleep earlier than many of the others. Over the next few days to the second challenge Noah had several encounters with Duncan. He doesn’t know why really. They just seem to rile each other up.
One time Noah was sitting on the dock reading and Duncan cannonballed into the lake right next to him. Luckily Noah did manage to keep his book dry, though he himself ended up soaking wet. “Nice.”
“Oh sorry, maybe you shouldn’t be sitting on the dock fully clothed.” Duncan taunted.
“Or maybe you should consider the people around you.” Noah huffed.
Another time he and Duncan ended up fighting over the confessional as both wanted to use it to vent. And then of course there was the time he ran into Duncan whittling outside the mess hall. “Whittling?” Noah chuckled. “That’s a surprisingly homely hobby for you.”
“I’m still holding a knife.” Duncan pointed out.
“And if you threaten me with it you might end up getting shipped back to juvie.” Noah smirked.
By the time the next challenge rolled around Noah was starting to feel like he and Duncan had more going on than either of them realized. Not that it mattered as the challenge was to stay awake the longest. After they had run for a long time and eaten turkey. Wow.
Noah was never the kind of person to stay awake normally, and now was no different. He was probably the first to fall asleep on his team, Owen aside. When he finally woke up he was kissing Cody’s ear. He ran away and hoped no one would remember.
There was so much teasing from the incident that when they finally had another challenge Noah wanted to leave. So he was deliberately as big of a jerk as possible to get voted off. It worked.
Over the next several weeks Noah got to stay at a resort. It's pretty nice, and totally worth getting kicked off the show for. Of course they still had to watch the episodes as they came out. Aside from Heather being a bitch and reading Gwen’s diary to the world, nothing of much interest happened until late in episode six when Courtney ended up cuddling Duncan in her sleep.
Something twisted in his stomach. He’s not sure what it is, or what its about, but he knows he doesn’t like Courtney and Duncan cuddling up like that.
That wasn’t the last time he felt the strange feeling. He felt it the next episode when Courtney helped Duncan with his fear. And in episode nine when they got stuck together as deer and Duncan started flirting. In episode ten when they were working on their cannoli together, episode eleven when Courtney found out about Duncan’s secret soft side, And Episode twelve when they kissed.
That was actually the time it felt the worst. He doesn’t get it. Why does Courtney and Duncan liking each other make him so upset? And why did he feel vindicated when Harold got her eliminated at the end of the episode?
Courtney arrived on the island extremely angry. Noah stayed in his room to avoid the brunt of it. He was surprised when the next morning she took him aside. “Uh, what do you want?” He asked.
“I just figured you might want to know something.” She said. "Look between you and me, Duncan and I aren't actually together. Chris bribed us into acting like that because an enemies to lovers opposites attract storyline would be good for views." Courtney told him.
"Why are you telling me this?" He huffed.
"Oh please Noah, I know about you and Duncan. It's not hard to figure out. You guys weren't subtle at all." Courtney scoffed.
"Excuse me? Duncan and I are nothing but a couple of guys who get on each other's nerves." Noah rolled his eyes.
"Wow. And here I thought Duncan was the only one in denial." The Type A chuckled.
Courtney clearly didn't know what she was talking about. All he and Duncan had done was fight and he's watched all the episodes until now. All of their fights were cut out. Why Noah didn't know. One would think fighting would be good for views. Either way Courtney was wrong. He's not into that punk with an annoying hairdo, sense of entitlement, and inability to stay serious for more than two seconds. Even if he's kind of cunning, can match wits with him, and is surprisingly talented with his hands.
He shook his head to clear it. Besides he hadn't been upset about Duncan kissing Courtney because he was crushing on him, but because she deserved better. Not that any of this matters since he wouldn't be seeing Duncan any time soon.
Or so he thought, because Chris had decided to bring back three people at the merge. How had he decided who to bring back? By throwing darts at a board with all the eliminated contestants on it. The three chosen were Cody, Izzy, and himself. They only have one boat though. So while Izzy would be taken to the island earlier to swing in on a vine when introduced, he and Cody were sharing a boat.
On the upside, he's back in the game and could win a hundred grand. On the downside, he already misses the resort, he and Cody coming back on the same boat was going to be horrible shipping fuel, and he had to see Duncan again. Which obviously he doesn't want to do. It's the only explanation for the strange feeling in his stomach when he thinks about reuniting.
When they arrived at the island Noah tried to ignore all the complaints about how he shouldn’t be here. Besides, he has other things on his mind. Namely Duncan, who is staring at him intently. Noah stares back, not willing to back down.
All too soon they have to get their stuff into the Bass cabin. Luckily there were enough bunks for everyone. Unluckily, Cody got here first and took the only previously empty bunk bed. Which meant Noah either had to share a bed with Cody, or Duncan. Which considering all the teasing he’d gotten about the incident with Cody…
“Seriously? You’re sleeping with me?” Duncan asked.
Noah almost blushed at the insinuation. There was no way Duncan had said it that way on accident. Still, if he reacted Duncan would know he’d gotten to him. “Better than sleeping with Cody.”
The tech geek buried his head into his pillow. Noah didn’t care. People were teasing him way more than Cody for some reason. Besides, Duncan seemed to respect that he’d replied in such a manner.
Today’s challenge was a game of say uncle. Duncan got to go first, and he ended up in a net with snapping turtles. Noah couldn’t help but wince. That was a lot. When it was his turn he had to have his nose hair pulled. It hurt but he managed it.
He sat down next to Duncan. “So the score’s 1-1 huh?”
“I guess? Why?” Noah asked.
“I’m just keeping track of points so I can lord it over you later.” Duncan smirked.
From there Noah lost his next challenge. But so did Duncan. Which meant there would be no lording over him. In the end it was Izzy who won immunity. After that Heather talked to him about voting out Leshawna since she’d nearly won herself. Noah agreed and got both Owen and Izzy in on it. Later Chris showed everyone the votes. He, Heather, Lindsay, Duncan, Cody, Izzy, and Owen all voted out Leshawna. So she went home.
The next challenge was to find keys to treasure chests. One of which would hold immunity. Noah ended up with his key stuck in the coils of a snake. He kept waiting for it to fall asleep, but it took a while. When it finally did, his arm ended up in a vice grip.
Eventually he managed to get away, but he didn’t get the key. Duncan on the other hand did, and the smirk on his face as he whispered. “2-1” Drove Noah mad.
Noah didn’t know why, but for some reason this stupid contest Duncan had set up between the two of them meant way too much to him. He doesn’t normally care about this kind of thing.
Trent was eliminated that night. Apparently Gwen had seen him kissing Heather and the news spread like wildfire courtesy of Izzy. Since Heather had won immunity Trent took the fall. And of course it was only after that, they found out it was a set up.
The following challenge was a game of hide and seek. So Noah did what he always did during such games. Camp out directly under or around the safe spot. In this case, the lifeguard chair. Everyone ended up found in the end except him. Noah smirked at Duncan even as everyone cheered him. “2-2”
Later Owen took him to the dock where all the other boys were. They explained that they had formed a guys alliance and wanted him to join. Obviously Noah agreed. They were planning to vote out Bridgette, but at the last moment Geoff volunteered to go in her place.
The next challenge was to build bikes and race them. Noah didn’t bother with anything fancy. He just built a bike. The first race required them all to switch. Whatever bikes survived went to the next round.
In the end, Heather, Duncan, Noah, Lindsay, Bridgette, and Owen all passed. They all did the next race and he ended up crashing into Duncan. So at least the punk didn’t win a point. Owen and Bridgette crashed too, but Heather and Lindsay made it across with Lindsay crossing last and thus being the one eliminated.
Which led them all to the most recent challenge. It started with them all watching an old black and white slasher film. Duncan smirked at him. “Scared?”
“Of this trite? Please. Slasher movies are the lowest common denominator when it comes to horror.” He scoffed.
“I like slasher films.” Duncan said.
Noah smirked and gestured to him. “Exhibit A.” Duncan punched him lightly in the arm. Noah couldn’t help the small smile on his face. He hadn’t wanted to come back, but Duncan and this whole competition were making him invested. He liked being around the punk. He liked to tease him. And he felt like Duncan enjoyed teasing him too. It made him feel light and fluttery.
The movie was coming to a close with the slasher killing two stupid teens that were making out in a car. Izzy enjoyed the movie, as did Owen. DJ and Bridgette on the other hand were terrified.
“Am I ever glad that’s over.” the brick house said. “I really hate scary movies.”
Noah could tell from the look on Duncan’s face that he was up to something. “Oh yeah? What scares you most? The, uh, part where everyone meets a grizzly death? Or the psycho killer with the hook?!” As he finished he flashed a hook prop making DJ scream.
“Aw come on, for a slasher flick it was pretty tame.” Gwen told him.
“She’s not wrong. The amount of glorified gore and violence in the average slasher movie usually exceeds that.” Noah agreed.
“Yeah. There was hardly any hacking. Not like Bloodbath two: Summer Camp Reign of terror!” Duncan said.
At this Gwen began to geek out over the movie with Duncan. Noah smirked and gestured to her. “Exhibit B.”
Soon after that they saw Chef and Chris driving away in the boat of losers. They just happened to leave behind a backpack with a newspaper on it, that just happened to be an article about a killer with a chainsaw and a hook on the loose. Set up if he’d ever seen one.
“Guess this is our challenge.” Noah smirked.
“What do you mean?! You saw the newspaper! There’s a killer on the loose!” Bridgette cried.
“Oh, come on! They don’t expect us to fall for this. Scary movie followed by hasty exit followed by strategically placed lame prop?” Heather scoffed.
“I don’t know. He looked pretty spooked.” DJ said.
“Puh-lease. It’s all part of their little stunt to freak us out.” The queen bee said.
“If this was a stunt, would Chris leave behind his… hair gel?” Owen asked. Everyone gasped except Heather and himself.
"Whoa. This is for real!” Gwen said.
DJ started to panic. “ So let me get this straight. Chris left us for dead and now we’re alone while that escaped psycho killer with the chainsaw is on the loose?”
"No, we’re alone while that escaped psycho killer with the chainsaw is on the loose!" Duncan told him, scaring him with the hook prop again.
"DJ, you gotta chill out." Cody told him.
"I feel like we’re being watched.” DJ panicked.
“Duh. It’s a reality show. We’re always being watched.” Heather said.
"She's right. Need I remind you all of the Phobia challenge?" Noah pointed out.
“Okay, look. It doesn’t matter if this is real or a challenge. We need a game plan.” Gwen said.
“You little frightwigs might need a game plan, but I need a facial.” Heather said.
"You can't go off alone! First rule of horror movies!" Gwen told her.
“ Please, we’re being punked. You’re so gullible.” Heather said. “Hey! Chris! If you’re listening, next time, rent one that takes place at a summer camp!” she turned to them all. “ If you losers wanna hang around and play “boogie man”, go ahead. But I’ve got a date with exfoliation."
"And the bossy girl seals her fate." Izzy said, running a finger across her neck.
“I say we go back to camp and talk strategy. Who’s in?” Gwen asked. Everyone began to follow her, or at least Noah thought everyone did, as it turned out Izzy and Owen had not come with them. Something Gwen realized only after she'd gone through the rules of stupid horror films.
"Where are Owen and Izzy?" She asked.
"Breaking rules one through three." Duncan smirked.
Noah sighed. "This is such a stupid challenge. The only people who die in horror movies are idiots."
"Yeah, but as Izzy and Owen already proved, there are plenty of idiots around us." Duncan smirked.
They all stayed together as a group for a little while. Duncan slung an arm over both of Noah's shoulders. "You know, I'm thinking, we're tied at two points apiece. What say we make it best of five?"
"So the next person to get a point wins the whole thing?" Noah said.
"Yep, and I'm thinking we can use this challenge to settle things. whoever manages to avoid being 'slashed' longest wins." Duncan said.
"Okay, but aside from bragging rights, what do we win exactly?" Noah asked.
"Let's say the winner has to do one thing for the loser." The punk smirked.
"Within reason. The loser has the right to negotiate with the winner until they both agree upon things." he told him.
Duncan smirked. "I see this isn't your first rodeo. Fine. Within reason."
Gwen looked around. "Where are DJ and Cody?"
"DJ needed to take a whiz and he took Cody with him." Duncan explained.
Gwen sighed in frustration. "Why is no one listening to me?!"
"I can't help but agree. I mean I'd get it if he were a girl, but he could just go in the bushes." Noah said.
Well, it looks like it's just the four of us." Duncan said.
Noah blinked. He'd completely forgotten Bridgette was here. The surfer had spent the challenge curled up against one of the logs. He was pretty sure the film had scared her as much as DJ. She hadn't said much. Or at least not much that Noah had heard. He's sure she talked to Gwen more.
They sat in silence waiting the night out. Noah found himself staring at Duncan as the punk stared into the fire. He looked really rugged by the firelight. the angles of his face highlighted as they normally were hidden. The glint off of his many piercing's lights in the darkness. He'd never noticed how nice Duncan's piercings looked on him. Noah wasn't a piercing person usually. He thought they looked stupid normally. But there was something about Duncan. Noah couldn't imagine him without piercings.
"I can't do this anymore." Bridgette said, standing up. "I can't stand here while other people could be hurting. I have to try and help."
"Are you insane!" Gwen told her. "They're beyond your help now! You go out there you die!"
"I know that! But we're all gonna die anyway! I might as well die helping someone instead of huddling up here waiting for death!" Bridgette said. With that she exited the campsite. Gwen sighed and crossed Bridgette off of the chart she'd drawn of the contestants. She turned to Noah and Duncan. "You know what really ticks me off? That I was trying to help them."
"Live and learn, sweetheart." The punk said, setting a stick alight in the fire.
"You really are a pyro, aren’t you?" Gwen noted.
"So? I like burning stuff." Duncan told her.
"Like bridges, your future, any chance of getting a high paying job because you have a criminal record..." Noah listed off, smirking at him.
Duncan smirked back. "What can I say, I can't be tamed."
" Is setting things on fire what you went to juvie for?" Gwen asked.
"Ha. Like I’d tell you why I went to juvie." Duncan said, setting the chart Gwen made alight.
"Holy crap! I’ll get water!" Gwen said, running off.
Duncan turned to him. "And then there were two."
The punk began to walk off. "Duncan, what are you doing?" Noah asked.
"Confronting the psycho." Duncan said.
A creepy voice echoed. "Duncan, Duncan, Duncan… Juvie, juvie, juvie…"
"You and me, psycho!" The punk declared, running off. Noah's eyes widened. There was no way he was going to stay here alone like a sitting duck. Plus, he didn't want Duncan to be alone. He ran after the punk, but he quickly fell behind. He didn't catch up until he was in sight of the dock. He could see Duncan fighting the slasher. It was clearly Chef, but the cook was psychotic enough that Duncan might still be in trouble.
Noah ran as quickly as possible as he watched Chef slice through item after item that Duncan threw at him. He ran out and the punk fell to the dock. Noah gasped and flung himself at Chef with all of his weight. It wasn't much, but enough to throw the cook off. Duncan got the chainsaw from him.
"You know I could have done that by myself right?" Duncan said.
"Whatever. Let's go turn Chef in." Noah smirked.
They took him to the others and that was when they found out Gwen was in the mess hall with an actual killer. They ran to get her and made it in time. She kicked him in the chin and scared him off. So to no one's surprise Gwen won the challenge. This challenge was actually sudden death, and whoever was considered the worst at the challenge would be eliminated. So DJ left, as he'd gotten scared by Heather, and never even encountered the psycho.
Once the ceremony was over Duncan took him into the forest. Noah smirked. "So are we trying to bait the real killer now?"
"No, I just wanted to make sure the cameras wouldn't see this. So...the competition. I took down the killer, but both of us made it to the end of the night. So..." Duncan trailed.
"We'll have to call it tie." Noah smirked.
Duncan sighed. "I was hoping to win."
"Well, what did you want?" Noah asked. "You know, if you had won?"
"...I was gonna ask if you’d kiss me." Duncan whispered.
"what?!" Noah gasped.
"I know how it sounds but I swear Courtney and I were paid off-" Duncan began.
"I know. Courtney told me. I just didn't realize you liked me." Noah said.
"I do. So..." The punk trailed.
Noah sighed. "Go for it."
Duncan leaned in and kissed him. It felt amazing. He's not sure how to describe it, but he'd never felt this level of dopamine and serotonin before. And it was because Duncan was kissing him. Wait...Courtney was right?! He liked Duncan?! Were they both just pushing each other buttons because of their crushes?!
When he pulled away Noah blinked. Duncan smirked. "Speechless huh? Cat got your ton-"
Noah cut him off with his own lips. He might have been upset about coming back initially, but he was glad he had now. Of course, not kissing Duncan on camera so the show's narrative wouldn't be messed up would be torture.