Chapter Text
/Dear Mom and Dad—/
It's not as if Duncan has got anywhere better to be, but he definitely should have given it more thought before agreeing to be on this torture show again with Chris's death trap he calls an airplane. When he really thinks about it, he's not even sure he likes any of these people. They're tolerable at best. But he does get on with a few decently. Gwen, for example. Maybe it's just that thing— what's it called? Trauma bonding or whatever. Why else would any of them agree to go through this again?
Sure, Duncan did get caught up in the possibility of the show ending for good just like everyone else did. But looking back on it, he's pretty sure most of them acted in panic and adrenaline more than anything. Mob mentality. A million dollars is a million dollars, right? Even if that means being on Chris's twisted reality show again. Glancing around the competition, he figures he's got a decent shot this time. If he can keep his head in the game, and not get all turned around by whatever he and Courtney have going on.
She likes to think of it as dating, but he's not so sure anymore. Duncan's starting to think the two of them are like fire and gasoline. Shit's bound to get blown up. Then again, he's always had a knack for explosives.
The new contestants might be wild cards, but the delinquent likes to think he's got a good head on his shoulders, he'll figure it out. He always does. Duncan's nothing if not resourceful.
*
Duncan knows home-school is a goner for sure with the way Chris is glaring at the guy, but getting kicked out of a moving plane? Yikes. Ezekiel does make it back on board, but Duncan's pretty sure everyone wishes he hadn't. Especially when everyone's trying to cram into the dining area. Izzy and Owen take to sitting on the floor while others choose to stand. Even though Courtney tries to get him to sit next to her, he doesn't feel like being next to that crazy chick Sierra. He sits next to Gwen instead, the new guy just so happens to be in front of him but new guy is facing Lindsay anyhow. And right next to Bridgette too... Interesting. Duncan wonders if he's working an angle there, but both girls have boyfriends though.
"On a scale of 1 through 10 how much do you think this is going to suck?" Gwen asks.
Duncan pretends to think about it. "100."
Gwen snorts, and for a moment things don't seem so bad anymore. Too bad good things don't last in Total Drama.
The speaker on the wall turns on and it's Chef's voice they hear. "Strap yourself in! We are now beginning our decent into Egypt!" Unfortunately for Chef, he forgets to turn the speaker off when he lets an insult to Chris slip.
They cut to commercial, and Duncan uses the opportunity to stretch his legs and sneak away for a few.
He thinks no one would bother to go into the cargo area, and he always carries his switchblade with him, so he might as well practice his carving skills on some wooden crates. He's in the middle of shaping a skull when Mr. Tall and Tan saunters in.
"Oh my apologies," The new guy says when they meet each other's eyes. "I didn't realize someone would be in here."
Duncan cracks a smirk and goes back to carving his skull. "Needed a break from the circus show?" He asks.
"On the contrary, I'm quite used to the circus, as you put it."
Duncan looks up again to see the guy moving closer. "You kidding? You used to be part of it?" It seems like Duncan's stuck in this conversation now, but nothing wrong with getting more information on the new enemy. He just has to be careful not to let anything slip in return.
"For a short period of time, yes," The circus freak replies, like it's no problem.
Huh. Interesting skill set the guy has there. "Al-ly-jandro was it?"
"Al-leh-jandro," Alejandro corrects him, but it just makes Duncan want to say it wrong on purpose even more.
"Is that why you're here? To take a break away from the others?" Alejandro asks him, repeating his words back to him. Damn it, Duncan is really going to have to be on his toes with this guy.
Duncan shrugs, playing it cool. "I'm a free spirit." Duncan hops onto one of the crates to sit down on it, oddly enough it puts the two of them eye-level. Face-to-face. Duncan starts flicking his blade open and shut out of habit, but also because something about the Spaniard puts him on edge. He's just not sure what it is yet.
Maybe Alejandro's trying to work an angle on him too. He is new after all, might want an ally. But Duncan's not the type to put all his eggs in one basket right off the bat. It would be an odd choice anyway, for Duncan of all people to be the one Alejandro chooses to approach first for that sort of thing.
*static*
[Confessional]
Alejandro: Okay, so I saw Duncan sneak off, I'm an observant man. I wanted to make sure he didn't catch onto something the other's missed that would put him in an advantage. It would have been stupid of me not to follow, no?
*static*
If Duncan has to hear Courtney and Gwen fight any longer he might actually pull his own hair out. The sun is fucking shining down on them, and they're already the last ones left to get to the finish point. ENOUGH! He drags both girls down the pyramid himself. Faster than they went up together, mind you.
"THREE HOURS of these two squawking on this stupid pyramid, in this stupid heat!! I'm done!! FORGET IT!" Fucking McLean in his fucking dumb outfit. This show has always been a nightmare from start to finish. Screw the money.
"Dude, you have a contract," Chris says. Duncan gets in his face. "EAT IT MCLEAN! If you need me, I'll be in the plane waiting for my ride home." Duncan pulls out his switchblade, "I QUIT!" and cuts off the rope that was tying him together with the others.
It feels super fantastic too. If only for a moment.
*static*
[Confessional]
Cody: Girls on the rebound are the best! They cry and then you get to buy them a pop and listen— and well, they still won't go out with you, but you get to buy them a pop!"
*static*
Duncan doesn't know what happened to the others, but when they all get back once the challenge is over everyone looks worse for wear. Harold can't shut his trap about beetles and crocodiles, which means Duncan is able to fill in the gaps where he needs to.
Courtney is on him first chance she gets when she boards the plane. She drags him by the ear into one of the extra corridors, for some sort of false sense of privacy. Everyone is going to be listening outside, and they are on TV. He doesn't say anything about it though.
"HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT QUITTING DUNCAN?! And– and leaving me with these– these ANIMALS!" She cries out.
Duncan doesn't have it in him to hold back his eye roll.
"What were you thinking?" Courtney shouts the question.
"I was thinking I'm not going to be bossed around, trapped in a tin can box of an airplane, because of some stinking money anymore!" He shouts back.
Courtney gets the wrinkle between her eyebrows she always gets when she's upset. Her deep brown eyes get teary eyed, and her freckles bunch up with her nose. Suddenly, Duncan is staring at the girl he fell for back at camp. He has to tear his eyes away from her face or else he'll fold. They're not the same people they were back then.
"Sorry princess, but I meant it when I said I was out of here." The nickname slips out by accident. He's not yelling anymore though.
"How could you do this to me?" Courtney's lip quivers as she asks, and for a second Duncan falters. She's afraid, this is fear, he realizes. This was the unshakable Courtney, wavering, and it's been a really long time since he's seen her vulnerable. He thought she forgot how to be that.
"Sorry," Duncan says again but less confidently now. "It's the end of the road for us."
"No– No! You can't end things with me because– because I'm ending things with you! You hear me! I'M BREAKING UP WITH YOU!"
The tears from her eyes are free falling now, her face twisted in anger. But that's okay. Despite what others think, Duncan knows Courtney. And he knows she needs to feel in control. She needs to feel angry. He doesn't do much to try and stop her when she starts swatting his chest with her hands, just tries to make sure neither of them get hurt to much. It's never felt so final between them before. Not even when they had their lawyers in between them.
Courtney gets her licks in and then storms out. To his mild surprise he sees Gwen follow after her. Probably to check in and comfort her. She's a good person like that.
Duncan slumps against the wall. He expects the others will scatter and leave him alone. He doesn't expect Leshawna to walk right in shortly after the whole fiasco.
"What? You come here to chew me out?" He asks, angrily.
Leshawna and him haven't always seen eye to eye on things, but they've always had a mutual respect for each other. All Harold issues aside. They had an expectation with each other to keep things real.
"No," She answers as she slides down to sit beside him. "Actually, I think it's about time you two ended things. You were like two serpents poisoning the other all the time, biting each other's heads off."
"What?"
"The point is breaking it off was probably the smartest choice you could have made. Now, quitting the show on the other hand—"
Duncan throws his head back and groans. "You do realize that if I stay now, I've just painted a huge target on my back right?"
"Nothing you've never dealt with before." Leshawna shrugs. "And it's better than going home as a quitter. Is that really how you want to go Mr. Tough-Guy?"
Duncan runs his hand through his mohawk and sighs. "Why's it matter to you anyway?" He questions.
"Well, look— you can make your own decisions. Stay or go it doesn't really matter to me anyway, just one less person I have to worry about, but if it was me walking away from a chance at getting a million dollars, I would hope someone would slap me against my face and tell me to wake up. There's a reason you're on this plane isn't there?"
Duncan can't help but to crack a smile at the imagery Leshawna painted, a small one but it's there. Leshawna picks herself up from the ground, dusts herself off, and lends him a hand up.
"Thanks," He says. It was the reality check he needed. Duncan can't imagine going home so early before someone like Cody or Tyler.
"No skin off my back," Leshawna replies with a smile. They walk to the elimination ceremony together.
To no one's surprise it's Ezekiel who gets voted out first. Home-school did manage to lose a damn stick of all things.
"So you're back in the game for good this time?" McLean interrogates him. It figures Chris isn't completely eager to kick Duncan's skinny ass out of here just yet. They both know bad boy types like Duncan were good for ratings.
Duncan sighs but nods. The peanut gallery gasps. Chris chuckles. "Oh this is going to be good," The TV host says, "Team Victory say hello to your newest member!"
No one has the balls to complain where Duncan can hear them, even Harold seems to accept the news in stride. When Duncan walks up to his new team as they're all leaving, Leshawna gives him a fist bump.
"But Duncan, you still missed out on today's challenge! That means you're on clean up duty for the rest of the week! And pull another stunt like that again, I'll kick you off the plane myself," Chris adds.
Duncan winces, already regretting his decision to stay.
/—I want to be famous/