A/N: you were all so lovely on the reviews of my other scottcourt story that i had to do another - really and truly these two have snagged my heart and they refuse to let go

special shoutout to instigator 2.0!! thank you for your kind words of encouragement - its people like you that make it all worthwhile :)

soundtrack: lorde - love club

There weren't always challenges.

Sometimes there were free days. Chris would make the announcement over the loudspeaker early in the morning - no challenge this week, he'd say, and as such the cameras wouldn't be rolling for a while. The campers would all delight in this - tensions eased and spirits lifted. Downtime was always, always appreciated.

Most of Courtney's peers used the rare privacy as an opportunity to fuck. She might have done the same if she and Duncan were still together, or if she and Scott were a little bit on the "more" side of more than friends.

But as it was, she didn't have anyone who she felt close enough to try and sleep with. She just wasn't confident enough for casual sex the way most of the campers were. And that was alright - she wasn't some hormonal child, she didn't need sex to function. She was perfectly content to spend some time alone.

Courtney liked to be by herself sometimes. She appreciated silence when she needed to think, and there was always something to think about between challenges. But in truth, she was just too social a person not to be around people for more than a few hours at a time.

It was strange to her, being here on this all-too familiar island without even one friend. Even back in the first season she had had friends from day one, allies at the very least. But this time around there really wasn't anyone that she genuinely cared for. Too many newbies, and she /really/ did not like the newbies.

Except Scott. Scott was good. Scott would keep her company without making her want to rip out her hair.

She hesitated for only a moment before starting in the direction of his room, determined. She was not going to let her own silly feelings get in the way of pursuing her only potential relationship. Friendship. Alliance.

Whatever.

Her stomach was filled with anxious butterflies and she did her best to squash them down. Boys did not make Courtney nervous. She did not let them. She never had. And regardless of his lovely shoulder freckles, Scott was not going to become an exception to this rule.

She knocked hard on his door, hands moving to rest on her hips as she waited for him to answer it. A few moments passed with no response, and then it unceremoniously swung open.

Courtney faltered. The butterflies she has worked so hard to eliminate returned (tenfold) and she felt a hot blush creep up the back of her neck. Scott was standing in the doorway, dripping wet, a towel wrapped around his waist and another slung over his shoulders. Steam wafted in from the bathroom behind him.

"Heya, babe." He greeted her, ridiculous cocky smile in place as always. But there was something else, she could see it in the gentle softness of his eyes. He was genuinely happy to see her.

Scott was naked (save for a towel) and he was actually happy to see her.

It took all of Courtney's practiced self control not to jump on him. Instead, she cleared her throat, forced her eyes to stay locked on his and not wander to his shoulders (she really did love those freckles) or his chest or, god forbid, even lower. She was not going to allow herself to even think about lower.

"What are you doing today?" She asked him, keeping her voice steady. He leaned against the doorway, eyeing her fondly. (Fondly! She could see it on his face, clear as day, he was fond of her.)

"Spending some time with the prettiest lady on this island, I hope." He clicked his teeth at her and she couldn't help but to snort, rolling her eyes. His smile widened.

"That was so ridiculous and corny." She scolded him, crossing her arms over her chest. "...But, I did come to ask if you wanted to...hang out, I suppose." She was stumbling a little as she looked up at him - he was just so pretty, his smile so sincere.

"Well, I did get an invite to spend some time with the other boys." Scott admitted, and Courtney felt the heavy weight of disappointment tugging at her heart. "But..." He continued, tone full of sudden warmth. "For you, my schedule is always as good as cleared."

Her heart skipped a beat. She had to resist the urge to hug him, wrapping her arms tighter around herself instead.

"Okay! Well, excellent." She replied curtly, nodding her head. "I'll be waiting for you outside of the hotel. I'll give you some time alone to...make yourself decent." She gestured vaguely at his naked torso, becoming flustered again in spite of herself. He quirked a brow, obviously amused. Her blush deepened.

"You could always come in." He offered slowly, grin turning slightly wicked. She nearly choked on her own breath, tongue pressed hard against the inside of her cheek.

She cleared her throat and then smiled up at him. "Some other time." She said, and meant it. Really, really meant it.

Scott looked pleased by this. "Looking forward to it." He replied easily, shooting her a coy wink and shutting the door.

Courtney covered her mouth with her hands to stifle the cheer that wanted to escape.

There really wasn't much to do on the island when they weren't doing challenges. Chris didn't care enough to give them any sort of entertainment - there were a few TV sets here and there but that was about it.

So when Scott ambled outside a few minutes later (smelling clean and fresh and distracting), she demanded suggestions.

He considered it for a while, obedient as ever. "Lets walk around and see what turns up." It was as good an idea as any she could have come up with, and so she agreed easily, gathering all of her courage and slipping her arm through his own.

He looked startled by the gesture, and she was absolutely delighted to see the way his own face filled with color, fair skin blushing a soft rosy color, contrasting with his hair in a way that was almost obscenely endearing.

He didn't pull away, at the very least, maybe even pulled her slightly closer. Courtney decided to count it as a victory, and tugged him off into the general direction of the woods.

"So." He began after a few minutes of companionable silence. "Who exactly is the real Courtney? Because I've seen quite a few versions of her in my years as a Total Drama viewer, and let me tell you, she is hard to pin down."

Courtney didn't know why she found this flattering, exactly, but she did. She had never in her life wanted to be easy to pin down.

"Well." She began carefully after a bit of thought. "I'm a senior in high school. I'll be attending Stanford next year to study law. I live in Vancouver with my parents and my brother and I'm going to be a corporate lawyer."

Scott looked at her for a beat before bursting info laughter. Surprise and a little annoyed, Courtney pulled her arm out from his and placed it on her hip, narrowing her eyes. "Why is that funny?" She demanded.

Scott snickered quietly, running a hand through his hair. "It wasn't funny. I mean, what you said wasn't funny. It just sounded so...rehearsed."

Courtney deflated instantly, stricken by the truth in his words. "Oh." She hadn't thought of it like that.

He smiled and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. She didn't protest, but she did bite back a smile. "Tell me something about you that you wouldn't tell just anybody." He requested, and she did smile then, squeezing his hand back.

"I'm scared of green jelly?" She ventured after a moment and he laughed, shaking his head. "Everyone and their mother knows that little tidbit, babe. Try again. What's your favorite color?"

"...Orange." She replied, looking pointedly up at his bright hair. He grinned wide, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

She laughed. "...No. No, its taupe, actually. But orange is getting there."

He blushed warmly and she grinned, reveling in the satisfaction once again. It was silent for a moment, then he turned to her, brows furrowed in cofusion.

"What the heck is taupe?"

It was the first time in her life she had ever laughed so hard she cried.

A/N: taupe is my fav color 2 scawt do not be a dumb nerd!1!

review if u love taupe as much as court loves scott i mean taupe