For Vida Loca's Mistletoe Kiss challenge.
It was the night before Christmas
Right now, Ezekiel would be at his grandparents' house, opening presents with his other relatives. Eating his grandmother's home cooked meals. Playing with his little cousins.
But instead, he was in a room full of teenagers he wasn't sure even liked him.
Chris had gotten the teens together for, "Total Drama Holidays!" It was supposed to be a six-hour Christmas party the day before Christmas. But the building had been snowed in.
Most of the campers were thrilled, actually. They all hated their family traditions, and would rather be with their friends. But Ezekiel really missed his parents and wanted to spend Christmas with them.
"Stop calling me that, Duncan! Gosh!"
Harold angrily sat down next to the homeschooler.
"What did Duncan do, eh?"
"He pulled down my pants and called me 'Doris'!"
"That's terrible! Can't yo'ou, like, report him fo'or harassment?"
"I wish. This isn't the worse he's done." Harold explained. "I hate that guy!"
"Hate's a strong wo'ord, eh." Ezekiel told him, expecting Harold to be thrust into some Duncan-free world.
…
He needed to stop watching all those Christmas specials.
The two awkward teens sat next to each other for a moment, until Leshawna approached, prompting Harold to eagerly stand up and hold out his hand.
"Care to dance, M'Lady?"
"Alright, sugarbaby. " she smiled. "But remember, just as friends."
"Anything for you."
Ezekiel smiled for a moment, knowing that Leshawna really did like Harold. Then he frowned. Ezekiel would never tell anyone, but he sometimes wished that he had a girlfriend. His parents believed in courting, but being around so many teenagers with relationships made him envious.
The country boy looked around at all the couples. Geoff and Bridgette were talking and drinking punch, Owen was watching Izzy do her 'Dance of the Rattlesnake', Katie and Sadie were fighting over Trent (literally ; the musician felt pretty awkward), and Cody was doing dance moves he thought were cool (even Ezekiel knew they weren't) to try to impress Lindsay. On the other side, Noah and Eva were sitting down and making fun of the other couples, Courtney and Justin were each gazing at the other's "beauty", and Duncan and Heather were, surprisingly, dancing together pretty well.
Some people had dates outside of the show. DJ invited a girlfriend he had before the show started. Even Beth found a date.
"Thanks for lending me your scarecrow, Ezekiel!"
He nodded at his friend, unsure if she should be dating his ex-girlfriend. Actually, he was mentally joking. He actually practiced talking to other people on the scarecrow, and the press twisted it.
Anyway, he was along with the few other people without dates. The others were Tyler, Gwen, and a poorly taped together Mr. Coconut.
"Well, looks like we're all alone, eh." Ezekiel sadly said to the nut. Or fruit. Or whatever it was.
"Why are you talking to it?" Ezekiel turned around, shocked, and saw Gwen looking at him.
"Well, um- I- Uh…" he stammered, his normally pale face now very red. "It was… Well…"
"Relax, Homeschool. I was just trying to make small-talk."
"Yeah… I jo'ost wasn't expecting anyone t-to talk to me here." Ezekiel rubbed the back of his head (or, toque).
"Whatever." The Goth said bitterly. "I just want to go home."
"So'o do I, eh." The prairie boy sighed. "But we're sno'owed in. We may not even make it ho'ome for Christmas."
"If this turns out to be a setup by Chris…" Gwen held up a fist, and Ezekiel flinched. Once she calmed down, she stated, "Normally, right now, my brother and I would be trying to survive whatever embarrassing or uncomfortable Christmas sweater my mom bought. And yet, I wish I was there."
"I know, eh. It's like, really spiced up how we can't be home."
Gwen smirked. "I think you mean, 'Messed up', or 'Screwed up'."
"Yeah, so'ory. I don't know all the lingo and stuff."
"I could tell." She rolled her eyes. "So, what does your family do on the Holidays?"
"Well, on Christmas day, I open my presents, so'o do my parents. I started getting them presents once I go'ot some money, eh. Then we'll normally make a cake, and call it 'Jesus' Birthday Cake'."
Gwen smirked again. "A birthday cake for Jesus? Not to be rude, but you don't expect Him to actually eat it, do you?"
Ezekiel chuckled. It was a pretty annoying chuckle, but Gwen found it somewhat cute.
…
Did she just think that?
"No, we do'on't. That's jo'ost how we remind ourselves what the holiday is really about, eh."
"That's cool." Gwen replied. After a moment of awkwardness, Gwen noticed something. "Where's Tyler?"
Ezekiel gasped. "And Mr. Coconut!" Gwen glared at him, and he gave here a sheepish look.
They looked over to the dance floor. To their surprise, the jock was actually dancing with Beth. Ezekiel was worried about how the Scarecrow would take it, but was relieved to see him/her with Mr. Coconut.
"Didn't see that one coming." The voice came from Noah, who, along with Eva, had sat next to them. "And look, Eva. Homeschool found a girlfriend."
"But a spoon in it, eh." Ezekiel told him, annoyed.
"Fork." Noah corrected.
"That, too!"
"So why are you freaks over here?" Gwen asked them.
"Those two idiots wouldn't stop asking us to go on a double-date with them and Trent." Eva explained. "So Noah brought me over here before I could kill them."
Gwen stopped listening after that. She was homesick. It wasn't right that, on Christmas Eve, they were kept on this stupid show.
"I wish I were home." Ezekiel explained to the bookworm and fitness-buff.
"I don't. I hate Christmas." Noah stated bluntly. Ezekiel gasped, shocked that anyone could say those words.
"H-h-How can you hate Christmas, eh?!"
"Well," he explained, "I gotta wake up to the noises of, 'It's Christmas! It's Christmas!'" He mocked his siblings, and continued. "Then get run over by them, have my presents stolen, and have them eat all the cookies before I even get one!"
"If my family did that, I'd make sure they never did again!" Eva said, pounding her fist into her palm. Noah hugged her.
"That's why I love you."
"They're scary together, eh." Ezekiel whispered to Gwen, who nodded. "Well, back to Christmas… maybe we sho'ould make the most out of this."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, me and you bo'oth miss our families. How aboot we hang in, at least until it sto'ops snowin'."
Gwen laughed. "'Hang In'?" Ezekiel blushed and looked down to his feet. "Wait… are you asking me, like, on a date here?"
"No, no'ot a date, eh!"
"Sounds like it." Noah smiled.
"No! It's joost that we bo'oth miss our families." Ezekiel explained. "And maybe talking to each other could somewhoot fill the void."
Gwen smiled. "I'd like that."
They talked in more detail about their families' traditions and experiences. There was one time where Gwen had gone to her grandmother's in the States, and died of boredom. He questioned in his mine how she'd be here if she had died, but decided not to interrupt her.
Ezekiel told about the time his older cousin brought in her rebel boyfriend, and got scolded by almost everyone. He actually liked the guy. He took him on a motorcycle ride.
After exchanging stories for a while, Ezekiel felt his stomach growl. "I'm hungry."
"Now that you mention it, so am I." Gwen followed him to the food table. She stopped when she herd some people chuckling.
"No way!" Tyler exclaimed, clutching his sides in laughter.
"Yeah! Go Homeschool!" Geoff said, right before going back to make out with Bridgette.
They tried to figure out what was going on, then looked above them.
A mistletoe.
Gwen blushed a little and rolled her eyes, and Ezekiel looked like a deer in the headlights.
"Yeah!" Harold cheered. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
Pretty soon, everyone, even Trent, was chanting with him. Gwen smiled at the homeschooler.
"You know they'll never stop bugging us unless we do it."
Ezekiel tried to respond, but all that came out were stutters.
"Let's get this over with." Gwen leaned in, and her lips touched his. After a moment of shock, he returned the kiss.
Everyone watched in awe, even Eva and Noah, as the Goth girl and prairie boy were kissing right in front of them.
"Give you any ideas?" Duncan nudged Heather, who scoffed and rolled her eyes in return.
Once Gwen removed her lips, Ezekiel stared at her in awe. Then they both looked away and started to chuckle awkwardly.
"Now I... kno'ow why my cousin kept making away, eh."
"I, uh… I think you mean 'making out'." Gwen corrected him, rubbing the back of her head.
After a moment of awkward silence throughout the room, they both grabbed each other and kissed again.
"Alright!" Geoff cheered. "Make-out contest!"
"Yeah!" Duncan and Harold cheered, as their dates rolled their eyes.
Woo-Hoo! Two new fandoms! Gwenzekiel and Mr. Scarecrownut! I may have made Zeke a little dense at some points, but he seemed sorta dense in the show. (What's sadder is he reminds me of myself).
Please review! I hoped you liked it!