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Jamaica is hot and humid, Alejandro quickly realizes, and he faintly wonders if they are actually stranded here, or if this was set up from the beginning. He wouldn't put it past the network to stage a plane crash, if the many stories he's heard from the other contestants these past couple of weeks are anything to go by. Seriously, some of the stories made him start to regret auditioning for Total Drama in the first place, until he remembered what he was here for.
To win a million dollars, and show his family who the best Burromuerto son is.
With Izzy gone and DJ eliminated, Alejandro is one step closer to the million, and he doesn't plan to stop now. How could he? He's on the top of his game, having nearly eliminated an entire team. The only person who really stands in his way is Heather, but he can tell that his flirting is starting to wear her down. The only other distraction he can possibly have is—
"Dude, Tyler's been calling your name for the past five minutes. I think he wants to play volleyball with you." Alejandro blinks, turning to look at Noah, who's staring up at him unamusedly, hand on his hip. "Don't tell him I told you this, but go easy on him. He's not exactly the best at sports."
Snapping himself from his thoughts, Alejandro forces a smile, looking into Noah's eyes so he doesn't scan over revealed brown skin. "Of course, mi amigo. Even I can tell he isn't the most…athletically gifted."
Noah snorts at the subtle insult, a small half-smirk on his lips. "That's the understatement of the century," he retorts, and Alejandro lets a small chuckle pass his lips. Between episodes, they had started sharing quips about the other contestants, which Alejandro was pleased about. Noah may be lazy, but his brain more than made up for that.
The two boys make their way across the small bit of beach, passing fellow contestants as they walk. Courtney and Gwen have pushed together two chairs and are sharing an umbrella, chatting with one another, and the two can hear Sierra loudly begging Cody to join her in the water.
"It'll be nice!" she claims, a hand wrapped around the boy's arm. "I'll save you from any sharks, Cody!"
"No thanks, Sierra," Cody quickly tells her, his eyes darting from Sierra to Gwen, who is either to caught up in her conversation with Courtney to notice him, or just flat out ignoring him. Alejandro believes it's the latter, from what he's seen of Team Amazon's dynamic.
Noah rolls his eyes from beside him, calling out to Sierra, "maybe you should get lost at sea, that would really impress Cody!" The girl huffs, shooting him a death glare that the cynic merely laughs at.
"You shouldn't go around making enemies, Noah," Alejandro quietly reminds, bumping into his teammate's shoulder with his own. Said teammate rolls his eyes yet again, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Haven't you been doing that with Heather through this entire show?" Noah shoots back, leaving Alejandro quiet for a few seconds.
He lets out a sigh, desperately wanting to say otherwise, but that would be a lie. Everybody has seen him teasing Heather. Courtney has even made the comment in the past that Alejandro was, "pulling her pigtails."
"Mine is a strategy, while yours is just because you're easily annoyed," he settles on explaining, and judging by the look Noah gives him, the other doesn't believe that for a second. Noah doesn't say anything else, though Alejandro can tell the other is itching to, and the two walk over to Tyler in a tense silence.
Looking up from where he's bumping the volleyball, Tyler grins widely as his two teammates approach, waving at them before the ball hits his head. "Hey, dudes! Want to play volleyball?"
Before Alejandro can agree, Noah interjects with, "nope, I was just walking Alejandro over. See you two later." With a wave over his shoulder, he heads back towards the sun chairs, green eyes following him all the while.
Tearing his gaze away, the Spaniard turns and smiles at the jock. "I would love to play, amigo. How about you start the game?"
Tyler cheers, clearly happy that someone is indulging him, and the two soon begin to play, Alejandro quickly realizing just how clumsy the other boy really is.
By the end of the three matches they play, Alejandro is declared the winner, though surprisingly (not to Alejandro, of course, because he played easy against the other), Tyler isn't far behind him in points. The jock takes his loss well, complimenting Alejandro as they make their way back to where most of the others were.
Gwen and Courtney are still sat together, except now they both have smoothies in their hands. Cody has also dragged a chair over to the two girls, Sierra not far behind in her own. Heather is a few feet away, sunbathing on a lounge chair, and if Alejandro wasn't so distracted by looking for a specific teammate of his, he would appreciate that she looks beautiful.
Sadly for her, his heart is slowly belonging to another. Another who is curled up in a chair underneath an umbrella, a book covering his face. Judging by the movements of his chest (which Alejandro is not staring at, he isn't a creep!), Noah is fast asleep, which nobody is surprised by. Alejandro has thought of asking if the boy has a sleeping disorder of some kind, just because he worried.
Owen sits beside his little buddy, a bowl of fruit in his hand that he takes bites of, Alejandro notices that he leaves the mango alone. Storing that thought away for later, he and Tyler make their way to the teammates, a fake smile on the Spaniard's lips. "Owen! I am so glad to see that you're alright."
The blond looks up at the two approaching, a bright smile on his lips. "Hey, Al and Tyler! Noah told me you two were playing volleyball. How did that go?"
Tyler launches into the story of their game, wildly excited to try to show off some of his volleyball skills, while Alejandro lets him recount the details, taking the chair next to Noah. Surprisingly, the smaller boy sleeps through Tyler's enthusiastic story telling, not so much as moving an inch.
Alejandro finds himself, admiring the sleeping boy, eyes drifting over Noah's skinny form. He looks like a small gust of wind would be enough to knock him over, ribs slightly visible from under his skin. Alejandro has the thought that if he brings Noah home, his mamá would make the boy eat so he would gain some weight, and isn't that a nice thought? Bringing Noah home to his family. With his wit and intelligence, surely the cynic could impress his parents enough to gain their approval—
Yeah, right. Maybe in his dreams. He would be expected to marry a girl from a family similar to his own, someone more like Heather, someone who would continue to make the Burromuerto bloodline as great as it is.
Sighing, Alejandro rests his chin in his hand, half listening to his two awake teammates chat, his eyes never drifting from Noah for a second.
A short time later, the sleeping teen finally wakes up, stretching in a way that fondly reminds Alejandro of a cat, and after removing his book from his face and plopping it down onto his lap, he looks around the small group, blinking slowly as he wipes the sleep from his eyes. "Oh, hey. How did volleyball go?"
Tyler once again launches into the story of their game before Alejandro can stop him, so he watches as Noah fully wakes up, most likely not paying attention to the brunet talking.
Halfway through the story, Noah's eyes land on Alejandro's, and they share a look similar to the one they shared last episode. Or the one before that. It's become a habit between the two of them at this point, seeing as they were the only two sane members of their team.
Once Tyler's story is over, Owen passes the bowl of mangoes to Noah, smiling cheerfully at him. "Here! I saved these for you."
"Thanks, dude." Noah pops a piece of mango into his mouth, offering Alejandro a piece. "Try it. It beats Chef's food."
Alejandro obliges, taking the piece and taking a bite, humming at the flavor. "I wonder if these are from the locals," he muses out loud, happily accepting another piece.
"Can I try one?" Tyler asks, and is soon tossed a chunk of mango that hits his cheek. "Hey!"
"Oops. My aim is terrible," Noah says with a smirk, tossing another piece at Owen, who thankfully catches it. The four devour the rest, taking turns trying to throw them into each other's mouths.
Afterwards, Owen offers to get the group smoothies, and Tyler asks to tag along, leaving Alejandro and Noah by themselves, the sound of distant chatter keeping them company.
The cynic turns back to his book, presumably reading where he left off before he took a nap, and Alejandro once again finds himself admiring the boy before him.
Noticing the staring, Noah raised an eyebrow, lowering the book so only his eyes are visible. "Do you want to read it with me?"
"That sounds wonderful," Alejandro replies, scooting his chair closer to Noah's as the boy tilts the book so they can both read the pages at the same time. They silently read, shoulder pressed together, and they stay uninterrupted until Owen and Tyler return, smoothies in hand.
Upon seeing the two reading, Owen quietly shushes Tyler, just sitting the drinks on an empty chair before leaving, probably to mingle with Team Amazon.
Noah is the first to notice the smoothies, and he hands one over to Alejandro, taking the other for himself. "Shit, this might be the best thing I've had since we've been on this show."
"I second that," the Spaniard agrees with a chuckle, and the two drink smoothies and read Animal Farm together, enjoying the peace.
It's Owen's idea to start a bonfire, and after double checking with Chris, who checks with a local, some of the teens gather driftwood and someone else (Sierra, Alejandro thinks) lights it, and they gather their chairs in a circle. Someone somehow got the stuff needed to make s'mores, and they take turns roasting marshmallows and talking to one another.
"This reminds me so much of Island!" Sierra says excitedly, roasting two marshmallows on a stick for her and Cody. She had squealed with delight at Owen's idea on a campfire on the beach, feeling like she's really one of the cast now. "If only we had a Dock of Shame." She sighs wistfully, and Noah rolls his eyes.
"Thank God you weren't on Island, or I would have made sure I was the first one eliminated," he responds, curled into his chair, knees to his chest. He'd put his shirt back on a while ago, Alejandro remembers, much to the Spaniard's disappointment.
Courtney chokes on where she's eating her s'more, letting out some coughs as Gwen rubs her back. "Wait; you wanted to be eliminated?!"
Noah sends her a deadpan look from across the fire, crossing his arms across his chest. "Duh. The food sucked, everybody was annoying, and I forgot my Epipen and Chris didn't give a shit. Of course I got myself eliminated."
"Awe, come on! We could have had an alliance!" Cody pouts at the other teen, cheeks stuffed with marshmallow that he had stolen from Heather, who merely rolled her eyes.
"Not surprised, nerd," the queen bee huffs, wincing slightly as a bit of marshmallow gets under her nail. "You wouldn't have won anyways. I'm surprised Owen even did."
Alejandro's eyes widen, and he turns to look at said winner, who is stuffing a s'more in his mouth. "¿Que? You won the first season?"
Owen swallows, letting out a loud burp and then nodding. "Yup! It was between me and Gwen, and with the power of Izzy, I won!"
"And then you surrendered the money, dumbass," Noah torts, watching as Tyler's marshmallow lit up in flames. "Seriously, dude. You could've put the money you won into stocks or something."
"Jesus Christ, you're such a nerd," Heather tells him, cackling whenever Noah flips her the middle finger.
"At least I'm smart. What are you? A bitch?" Sierra has to hold Heather back from tossing Noah into the fire, which the cynic just laughs at, and Alejandro finds himself enthralled for the umpteenth time today.
Once Heather is calmed down slightly (though Alejandro notices her still shooting daggers at Noah, who simply eats his s'more in peace), the group start to talk once again, their conversation shifting to the host.
"Seriously, what is in his necklace?" Gwen asks, her s'more filled hand almost smacking Cody in the face as she talks animatedly. "I bet it's cocaine."
"No way!" Courtney argues, turning to face the girl sat next to her. "It's probably a seashell."
"Maybe it's the ashes of a dead intern," Heather suggests, causing the group to stare at her in horror. "What? He's crazy enough to do that."
Other theories include spare change (Tyler), a wireless microphone (Sierra), and peanut butter (Owen…). They continue to talk about it until Noah perks up, simply saying, "Gwen's right."
The teens go quiet, all of them staring at Noah like he has two heads. He raises an eyebrow at them. "What? I was his assistant. Obviously I know about his cocaine stash."
"You're kidding," Gwen mutters in disbelief, before grinning and turning to the group. "Ha! Told you so! Thanks, Noah."
"I didn't even do anything," Noah tries, but accepts the thanks anyways, sliding further into his chair. "So many people in the industry do cocaine. It's a party staple to them."
"Have you ever done that?" Tyler asks, which grabs the group's attention. They all stare at Noah again, who goes quiet, unsure of how to answer the question in the least incriminating way possible.
"Noah…" Alejandro starts, and the smaller boy shushes him, saying, "let me think!" before thinking silently to himself.
Courtney finally snaps, a deep frown on her face. "You're underage, Noah! You shouldn't be doing drugs!"
"How was I supposed to know that Chris puts it in his coffee?! I wanted caffeine, okay?" Noah grumbles, refusing to talk until the group changes the subject.
Of course, with this new information, they refuse to shut up about it. "Wow, that's so not cool of Chris," Tyler says, shaking his head in disappointment. Owen agrees, worried about his little buddy, and Sierra looks like she already knows about the host's indulges.
"He's not as bad as Blaineley," she defends, and the group decide to end the conversation there so Sierra doesn't start one of her fanatic rants.
They continue to sit around the fire until nightfall, and some of the group begin to leave. Gwen and Courtney are first, giggling as they make their way back to the hotel they're staying at. Heather follows a few minutes after, followed by Cody and Sierra.
Owen is next to leave, claiming that he's exhausted, and Tyler follows, wanting to race the blond back to the hotel. He falls several times in the sand.
Alejandro and Noah are once again alone, and while the smaller boy stares into the flames of the bonfire, Alejandro stares at him. It would be so easy to tilt the smaller boy's chin, and lean down and kiss those plump lips, but he's scared of ruining their dynamic. Isn't friendship enough? Can't he be happy to be Noah's friend?
Noah once again notices the staring, and he sighs, turning to face the taller teen. "What? See me any differently after what I admitted?" he all but snaps, clearly still frustrated with the earlier conversation.
"No, of course not, amigo!" Alejandro insists, though he is more worried about the boy. What other horrific things had he done while working under Chris? When he wins the million, he'll give Noah some money just so he won't work for the bastard. "If anything, I find you more resilient. Working under someone like Chris must be difficult."
"Tell me about it." Noah rolls his eyes at the memories of his old job, before a yawn slips out. He covers his mouth with the back of his hand, turning to look at Alejandro. "You ready to head back?"
Alejandro wants to refuse, using the time alone to confess how he's feeling, but nervousness bubbles in his throat, so he just nods. They stand up, making sure that the fire is properly out before heading across the beach, walking close to one another.
Before they get off the sand and onto the pavement, Alejandro grabs Noah's arm, pulling him to a stop. "Can I tell you something important?"
"You just did."
"Seriously, Noah, I really need to tell you this." Alejandro is above pleading, only using it when absolutely necessary, and he doesn't want this to be one of those times. He wants to do this the right way.
Noah shrugs but keeps quiet, looking up as Alejandro as if waiting for him to speak.
And as much as Alejandro wants to say that he has growing feelings for the other, and that he would like to go on a date after the show is over, he finds that he can't. He'll just mess everything up, which is something he cannot afford to do. He was too far along in the game.
So instead of confessing his feelings, Alejandro says, "I'm really glad you're on my team, Noah."
Noah raises an eyebrow, head tilted back slightly to meet Alejandro's gaze, and the Spaniard wonders if the other can sense his nervousness. If he does, he doesn't mention it, only replying with, "thanks, I guess. You're too bad of a teammate yourself, even if you do spend all your time flirting with the other team."
Alejandro fakes a laugh that sounds awful, even to him, but before Noah can question it, he's continuing to walk to the hotel, blood pounding in his ears. He doesn't even turn to see if Noah is following him, mentally beating himself up for being a coward.
Maybe he'll gain the strength after the next challenge. Yeah, surely that will work.