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It was another night on Rescue Island. Bruno was the most recently eliminated from the favorites team to the fans' surprise. Finn and Aubrey were surprised he managed to survive so long on that team, while Ernesto and Manu expected him to make it further in the game. But no one was as surprised as Aiden, who looked frozen in place with wide eyes as he saw the person he swapped teams with now here on this island. Nonetheless Bruno was welcomed with open arms, along with a huge bear hug from Manu. Everyone welcomed him except Aiden, who left into the forest without a word. No one even noticed he was gone.
Hours passed as everyone gathered food for dinner: same ol' seafood dish, but this time with some seasoning the group conjured up from plants. It was like a cultural mixture Bruno knew of, and it was delicious. Soon, the eliminated contestants decided to hit the hay- or grass- but Bruno decided to take a stroll through the island to walk off the meal. He left with a lit tiki torch.
Considering it was dark, the path wasn't very visible for Bruno. He couldn't see anything 10 feet away from him between the trees. He went right, then left, then left again, until he eventually found himself lost and clueless about how to get back to the camp. Slight anxiety surged through him as he realized he was alone at night, frantically trying to find his way back. As if hope was there, he saw some lighting between some trees. Maybe it's the bonfire! He shuffled towards it, but it wasn't what he expected.
Pushing some palm leaves out of the way, he found a clearing right in front of a cliff that had the ocean right under it. The moon shone brightly, illuminating the grassy area nicely. There area was filled with a few flowers and a big rock meant for sitting, but something was living amongst it all. Sitting upon the rock and facing the cliff's edge was a red-wearing and oreo-colored-haired individual: Aiden. His head hung low as one could hear faint crying from him.
Bruno's brown eyes widened, as he JUST realized he never noticed Aiden's disappearance until now. He could tell something was wrong, yet he was hesitant to do anything, believing this was a private moment. After watching the other for a minute, though, Bruno decided to act. He emerged from the area and slowly made his way over from behind. Every step made him fiddle with his hands more. He should at least make his presence known, so he finally spoke up,
"Uhhh… Aiden, are you okay?"
Aiden flinched, whipping his head around for Bruno to catch a glimpse of red eyes before he turned back around and quickly wipe his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What do you want?"
"I…" Bruno scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Okay so, I took a midnight stroll, got lost, aaaand now I don't know how to get back to camp. Heh… What are you doing here all by yourself?"
"Why does it matter…"
"Have you eaten dinner? Or anything?-"
"I SAID IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Aiden suddenly hollered as he whipped his head back at Bruno with a glossy glare, scaring Bruno into a jolt.
"I'm sorry!"
Aiden glared at Bruno for a second before his eyes quickly weakened with furrowed eyebrows. He tilted his head down to have his head massage his forehead with a sigh.
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, just… my head hurts…"
It didn't entirely scare Bruno off. He just stood there awkwardly as Aiden continued to look frustrated. He didn't want to leave the guy here by himself, especially around a cliff- Plus, Aiden's the only person around him right now in a forest he's not yet familiar with. So, Bruno asked again, pointing at the ground to the right of the rock on Aiden sat on.
"Can I… sit with you?"
Aiden glanced at the ground before thinking about it. He did just yell at Bruno for no reason, so he had to make it up to him. Aiden nodded, and Bruno promptly sat next to him. There was awkward silence between the two as they both looked on to the deep blue sky and turquoise sea. They didn't know who would say anything again first. Then Aiden spoke up,
"So, you're eliminated… What happened on the Favorites team since I was gone?"
And Bruno was ready with what to respond with, recalling everything,
"Well, me, Spencer, Lake, and Rosa formed an alliance while Gabby, Tom, Natalia have their own. We had a fashion show challenge, lost, and got out Benji- There's some beef between Natalia and Rosa, and Spencer and Lake- We went back to Camp Tipiskaw for a challenge with wild animals, lost again, Spencer backstabbed me and made Rosa and Lake vote for me- And now I'm here."
Aiden listened to everything, and it made his face scrunch up on some parts of his story. Like how all of his friends basically forgot who the people who got him out were. And now Bruno's eliminated, the one he deliberately chose to strike back against Spencer and Natalia. He let out another sigh.
"Right… That tracks…"
Bruno could feel Aiden's disappointment, and now he felt bad that he couldn't fulfill his wishes. He began apologizing desperately.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get them out like you want me to- I just got so swept up in being around show royalty, being friends and playing games with them, and being around Spencer- I completely forgot what you told me!"
"No, don't be," Aiden insisted, his voice almost monotone and careless, "At least you seem to handle them better than me on with the fans."
"Oh yeah- How was the fans team? You guys lost a lot… Was everything oka—"
"No, everything wasn't okay, Bruno." Aiden started, that small amount of aggression coming back, "It was shitty. We kept losing challenges, the team ended up in shambles, Evie fucking betrayed me- Everything was HORRIBLE! And it-"
Aiden choked, nearly breaking down again as his voice faltered.
"And it was all my fault…"
Bruno has only ever seen this side of Aiden once: back in season 2, episode 10 when he was in the cabin with James after Karol's medical vacation. He treaded on the conversation cautiously.
"I… Surely, you don't actually mean that? I mean, it can't be just you on the team who messed up."
"No, it was me. All me. I got out two of our best players early- All for someone who didn't even have an advantage."
His heart hurt with how much he felt that same feeling he's felt multiple times before: stupidity.
"I was reckless. Vengeful. Overconfident. I wanted to be a strategist, but instead I wrecked any sort of gameplay I could've had here."
He sighed, leaning over to comb his fingers through his dark hair in frustration.
"And now, I've wrecked any chance of me getting an acting role now… God, I'm so stupid…"
It seems like his actions and how he played the game this season finally caught up to Aiden how terrible he played. It took seeing Bruno come to Rescue Island to make him realize his plan failed once again. Like clockwork. Bruno sat there, fiddling with his thumbs as he tried to find what to say.
"…Hope you don't mind me asking, but… why come back here?"
He questioned, scared of asking the wrong kind of question that could offend the other.
"I mean- I know you were the first fan put on the show, but why come back to an environment hurting your chances to a career outside of it?"
Aiden was silent, his blue eyes looking tired as he stared ahead almost eerily, before he responded,
"That's a good question, Bruno. I… I don't really know.
James didn't think it was a good idea for me to go back, even though he was happy I was invited back for another season. He said I really shouldn't, but I… I just couldn't say no! I had nothing to do! I had no acting roles to keep myself busy! James just went out every week to go be in shows and movies while I stayed at home bored to death!"
"But James was on the show too and he managed to get—"
"HE WAS SOMEBODY BEFORE THE SHOW! He was a TikTok influencer with a following and already-established presence online. Meanwhile I never had a job or social media presence. Of course it was easier for him to get an acting role before me, the person who's been doing acting since HIGH SCHOOL! I auditioned for every theater production, applied to every job around where we live in Brazil, and I can't get anything because I'm Aiden from Disventure Camp, the reality star who can't control his emotions!"
He ranted and yelled as he just let his bottled-up feelings flow out without abandon. For four years, he had to struggle with the show, theater, accepting himself and his body, jealously over his boyfriend's success, finding a job, the horrible comments people make about him— And now it all came crumbling down onto him. His head pounded like a blaring alarm system as he sludge over in his sitting position, to which he could only mutter:
"This show is the only place that would want me… And yet, I'm still feel like a nobody…"
"…Jesus…"
Bruno grimaced as Aiden vented out his frustrations, and it kinda scared him. Aiden was a fan who was cast onto this show like Bruno. Is this what will happen to Bruno if he kept coming back? Lose every single ounce of dignity and integrity for the chance to prove he is something? Fiddling with his hands nervously, he didn't know what could be said to comfort Aiden. Oh, if only Lake or Rosa were here.
"Well… Before this show, I was nothing but a personal assistant for my boss. Obviously doesn't relate to you not having a job at all- But I can relate to not being somebody before the show."
Bruno looked off to the side to a spot in the grass, continuing without thinking.
"I didn't have a lot of friends growing up and… that type of loneliness left me seeking anyone who would pay attention to me. That's how I got my job as an assistant and it… sucks. My boss never saw me as a companion or real person, just someone to go sort her paperwork and fetch her coffee in the morning through long lines. At first, I didn't care because at least she gave attention, but after a while, it stressed me out. I was scared of making the smallest mistake around her. She would yell at me if her coffee was warm… My only escape was watching Disventure Camp. Even though it may be trashy, it gave me comfort and got my mind off things… And it soon became a hyperfixation."
At that moment, Aiden turned his head slowly to watch Bruno, still leaning over with his hair hanging over his shoulder as Bruno continued talking.
"Then I got on the show and met some really cool people here! Like Lake, Rosa, and Tom! They're really nice and genuine… I see why you're friends with them. I wouldn't give them up for anything, not even this game… But I now see what this show does to some of the people who come back here: it makes them worst off than they were before. You try to prove yourself and what do you get out of it in return? Embarrassment? Hate? Loneliness? Desperation? Almost like it would've been better if you never came here to begin with…
But if you have friends who really care you, and are concerned about you, I would listen to them. They're better to listen to than the voices in your head…"
Bruno stared at the grass under his feet in a trace before he blinked back into reality, turning his head to look at Aiden who was looking back at him. At that moment Bruno once again hit the panic switch.
"Ah- God, I rambled, didn't I? Shoot, I'm s- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to undermine your problems! I d- I- Uhhhhhh—"
But then he heard something come out of Aiden he didn't expect: chuckling. It was weak, but it was chuckling. Aiden sat up as he pushed his hair back from his forehead before it came back to where it was before.
"No, it's okay," He chuckled through his words, finding it a bit humorous how Bruno malfunctioned. "You didn't do anything wrong. Just didn't take you for a rambler."
Now with that trait of his pointed out, Bruno's cheeks turned red in embarrassment, making him grab his hoodie and pull it upwards to hide his face, which only made Aiden laugh more.
"I-It happens! I thought it would be obvious since I know everything about the show! Shut up, don't laugh at me!"
He pushed Aiden lightly, aimlessly doing so because he had his face hidden as Aiden took it lightheartedly.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it!" After a moment, both calmed down, and Aiden let with a sigh. "I just wished I could've gotten to know more before we swapped times… You are interesting… Guess I should've focused on getting to know the other fans more."
Bruno brought his hoodie down. That compliment made Bruno smile a bit, and it was nice to see Aiden sort of cheered up.
"Yeah…"
That was all he could say before the two went back into silence. This time it wasn't as awkward as the last. After a moment, Bruno started up again,
"…Would you like some word of advice?"
"Sure." Aiden shrugged, to which Bruno looked him in the eyes.
"You should take a long break from the show. And maybe get some mental help. Seriously, man, I've seen the stuff you went through in season two and All-Stars and it is traumatizing. It really doesn't sound good for you."
Aiden furrowed his eyebrows. Take a break from the show? The show he dreamt of getting cast on since season one? No- This is the only place he can get recognition and exposure! To prove he was someone to the world!
…But if he kept going down this route, it could lead to his own destruction. What if he pushes his friends away because of this game? Or he pushes James away for being concerned about his health? Could he end up like Riya? Alone? Broken?
Aiden paused for a second, unable to think, yet he had to respond to Bruno with something.
"I, uh… I'll think about it."
"Alright," With that, Bruno finally arose from the stone he sat on, stretching his arms over his head with a groan, "Welp, I'm gonna go check out for the night. Hopefully Finn doesn't take up all the covers we made out of leaves… You wanna head back with me?"
Aiden shook his head, "No, I think I'm gonna stay out here for a bit longer."
Once again, Bruno didn't exactly feel good leaving Aiden by himself, but if that's what Aiden wants…
"Alright, I'll find some chalk or something to mark the trees for when you start heading back."
"Alright, thanks."
With that, Bruno began to leave the clearing, but not before Aiden called out to him one more time.
"Oh- And Bruno?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for… listening and talking to me."
Bruno was taken aback by Aiden's gratitude, surprised his awful attempt actually worked in comforting the man. With a smile, Bruno nodded before bidding Aiden good night and leaving the area.
Aiden watched him disappear into the trees before he turned back around and stared at the glowing moon above him. A heavy sigh elicited from his lips. He has some thinking to do…