Stupid little Gwen-shaped slut ¬¬
I respected you before that kiss.
But honestly, what bothered me even more than the kiss from that promo was the married DxC scene that followed. What with Duncan throwing her on the ground, out of pure annoyance for sure, and Courtney demanding a divorce. That's exactly the kind of couple I don't want them to be T_T and it hints that Duncan's turned to Gwen for a break, because Court's making him so damn sick and tired.
Anyway,
Beauty Kills: Aww, thanks for the sentiment, though I don't really write for reviews (althogh I do kinda hope than when I get better I'll get more ^^) as much as for practice and because I simply love it :)
CarmillaD: Aii espero que no :P la enemistad entre Gwen y Courtney es para mi lo mejor por lejos de TDWT, espere tanto para verlo y parece tan… perfecto xD. Jaja, perdón que contradiga tus esperanzas.
Jajaja, es verdad Top Dog se me hizo re largo :P y encima siiiguee xP Siempre me quedan las historias el triple de largo de lo que las planeo, no se por qué.
Frank15: Sweet & disturbing. Two perfect words to describe DxC xD
IMPORTANT: That little elimination change I did (Owen going early) takes its toll on this chapter. Watch out ;)
~The Machine~
# Dictatorship #
"Soo Courtney… you and Duncan huh?"
The question alone widened the already present smile to Courtney's face. She turned to Beth, craddling her face on her palm and smiling at the memory of last night. "Yeah… it was nice to have finally worked things out between us," she answered, letting her eyes droop romatically.
And despite their history, Beth couldn't help but smile at the evident happiness radiating off the girl before her.
Suddenly Courtney's eyes turned worried. "We didn't keep you up, did we?"
Beth wasn't taken aback at her uncharacteristical niceness, because it had accompanied her all day, and in Beth's opinion, it just went to show you how happy Courtney felt. "Nah," she answered easily, and mentally snickered because she knew she had heard every single word.
What? It was Courtney and Duncan getting back together. She would have kept herself up if she had just come home from a year-long War or some other impressive feat like the ones Chef talked about.
Just then, the other half of Duncney himself came in through the door.
Courtney turned her head, her smile disappearing as she realized for the first time how tired Duncan looked. He had looked rather energetic back at the trailer… it was the first time she saw the dark bags under his eyes, his unnatural paleness and the comically tilted mo-hawk.
"Hey babe," he said tiredly, and Courtney instantly frowned.
"Duncan! I thought we had agreed only I would engage in the use of pet names!" she scolded, feeling frustrated. Hadn't they just gone over this? Like, fifteen minutes ago? "It's right there on page three!"
"Section five," added Beth to back her up.
Courtney ignored the intrusion and turned back to Duncan, "You promised to memorize that letter for today," she reminded him sternly.
"I-I will, I will," he assured her mechanically as he piteously crawled to his seat, tumbling once or twice. "I-I-I'm just really tired right now. Aren't you?" he asked her, not even fighting her exigence anymore. Beth watched incredulously the scene in front of her, bewildered by how… puny Duncan looked, and wondering whether or not he realized it.
Gwen, watching the same scene in disbelief from Playa de Losers, would later sum it up in these words,
"Okay. That's it," she spat sardonically, getting the attention of the rest of the assembly from the shock and rage evident in her voice. "Courtney, is a freakin' vampire. She literally sucked the life out of him."
Back in the present, Courtney answered, "Don't worry, I forgive you. Just like I forgave the other three hundred and sixteen minor transgressions I outlined in my letter- but, I expect you to memorizethat letter so it doesn't happen again!"
"Anything for you, bab- Courtney!" he caught himself in time.
"You may hold me now," she told him, turning her back to him.
Duncan's spirits lifted. True, he couldn't reach out for her spontaneously anymore; but maybe she would comply with his petition and reach out for him, more often. Duncan wasted no time in wrapping her arms around her; she leaned into his chest, and Duncan's sleepy mind identified the contact as good.
He looked down at Courtney with a small smile of contentement, as she put her hands over his and smiled in silent happiness.
Pherhaps it was their combined tiredness, or pherhaps neither wanted to break the quiet loving moment they had submerged into, but the fact was that neither party made an effort to start a conversation, and stayed in a comfortable silence instead.
After a while of succesfully blocking out the chatting, screaming and choking, and general non-challenge morning craziness, a sudden beeping sound seemed to awaken Courtney, and Duncan's smile fell right off when he felt her stir. Well, he'd been wondering how much that was gonna last…
Courtney took out her PDA. "New message?" She asked herself, sounding surprised. She turned to Duncan, and he saw an almost apologetic look in her eyes. "I just need to check…-"
"Attention, cast!" Chris called as he came in to the scene, the parrot on his shoulder squeaking in harmony after him. He stood in his usual pose, arms folded behind his back and bright fake smile on his face, as he waited for the assembly of confused teenagers who didn't expect to have a challenge today.
Chris absolutely hated, hated, hated Duncan and Courtney for getting back together off-camera. Millions of viewers -half of which were die-hard 'Duncney' lovers- would tune in at the end of this week and find that their favorite pairing had hooked up while they hadn't been there to watch.
Their whole scene last night, from Beth's game to the out-of-the-blue kiss to the long discussion of the controversial 'relationship contract' would have shooted Total Drama Action (and him) to the very top of the ratings, but nooo- they had to do it all on a non-challenge day.
Determined not to miss out on any more action, Chris had moved the challenge forward two days. Given those kids' relationship's shotgun nature, he may not have a lot of time, and it would be even more disastruous if the fans tuned in to see Courtney and Duncan had made up and fallen out again, and they had missed it completely.
He was set to record every detail of Courtney's apparent enslavement of Duncan.
"Dude what's with the flying rat on your shoulder?" Duncan quipped up as the teens flocked together.
Chris didn't stop smiling. "That's my new BFFF. Best flying friend forever. Which brings us to today's movie genre- the animal buddy flick."
He ignored the kids' expressions questioning his choice in genre -making a mental note to pass by the make-up trailer later to explain that one-, and procceeded to explain the first challenge.
An hour later, they were all in the midst of training their animals, none of them with much success.
"No, no, no, I told you bright green, like my mo-hawk!" Duncan chastised his pet, pointing at his hair for extra effect. "Not that wussy moss green! C'mon, get it right!"
The chameleon had the audacity to turn red to express him discontentment. Duncan glowered at him, looking as if he was about to strike him, but then just sighed and let his muscles relax. He just didn't have the energy for this.
He looked over at Courtney, curious as to how she was doing. She looked like she was having trouble as well, trying to teach her shark how to do a cheer, a rather impossible task if you asked him; then again, if anyone could teach a shark how to cheer, it was Courtney. In any case, he got a kick out of seeing her little cheerleading routine for a while- he had always kinda pegged her for the cheerleader kind, but had always forgotten to ask her.
He gave up on his animal altogether and sat at the table, with every intention of taking a nap. He rested his head on his palm and finally let himself close his eyes. He indulged himself in a peaceful semi-conciousness for an indefinite amount of time, until:
"Duncan! Hour's almost up!"
The teenager's eyes fluttered open before his mind knew he was awake. As the latter part of Courtney's sentence sank in, Duncan got a feeling of dread similar to when a child has to take a test he forgot to study for; a feeling Duncan had never gotten from any teacher or from his own mom, and that he really didn't want and shouldn't be getting from his girlfriend.
"Hour for what?" he stuttered nervously, forgetting all about his nap, and the fact that he would have murdered anyone else who had woke him up.
"Page 2, section 5, ring any bells?" she asked scathingly, and Duncan felt consternation, and then guilt eat away at him when her face turned disappointed. "You promised to pay me a compliment once every hour."
"Oh, yeah, right!" he said, even though he did not remember that at all. He produced the contract, trying to find the rule she was talking about, as if it would help him think of something. "Uh, you have…" he racked his sleepy brain for something to say. "…nice teeth." It was true! He liked her teeth, they really complimented her beautiful smile, and they looked bright against her dark skin.
Courtney didn't find it satisfying, though. She scowled at him. "Quit fooling around with that glorified lizard, and get memorizing," she ordered, and he hated himself for the guilty, submissive look he was giving her as she talked. He was too tired to even control his face. "After all, what's more important? Winning some stupid challenge, or making me happy?"
She grabbed his face as she said this, a gesture that normally would've put him on her side immediately, but that didn't weigh enough to distract him from the incredibly selfish words.
Courtney had already turned her back on him when his face turned into a scowl. He rose from his seat, and decided to make a stop in the Confessional, since he hadn't all day.
He entered the make-up trailer and sat down in front of the camera, presenting the Contract from Hell to the viewing audience. "As I'm sure many of you know by now, Courtney," he pronounced her name with every bit of annoyance he wasn't willing to show her in person. "wrote me a 32-page letter outlining all my faults, and how to correct them if we're ever going to have a serious relationship! All of which, she expects me to memorize! I think I would have preferred, I dunno… a night of alien probing or something," he dramatized.
"Don't get me wrong now," he went on, putting down the papers. "I'm really happy we're back together and all. But it's like she actually expects me to help her win, instead of helping myself," he chuckled humorlessly. "So not gonna happen."
"I mean hey, I like Courtney, I really do, but I also like a million big ones," he said, eyes getting big. "Best case scenario, I win the money and the girl. But if it comes down to it, I need the money more than I need some high-maintenance chick with a superiority complex," he blurted out, before laughing nervously, surprised at his own outburst. He really wouldn't want her to hear what he had just said, after all. "Don't… tell her I said that, okay?"
He hesitated for a second, wondering if he should say something else, but then just upped and left the room.
He closed the door behind him but did not leave immediately; instead, he leaned back on the door and heaved a sigh, rubbing his eyes. He stayed that way for a moment. Then he stood straight, withdrew his hands and opened his eyes. "Just hang on in there," he told himself, affecting a serene tone. "You've got her now, you're back together. Nothing can go wrong now," he said, establishing the things he knew for sure first.
He then chuckled wryly, "You already said goodbye to your pride," he said, rolling his eyes. Past were the times where he stressed himself trying to choose between his pride and his Courtney. He had taken his chance, he had made his extra effort and been compliant with what Courtney asked, and it had actually fixed things up. He'd had to kiss goodbye an important part of his self-respect in the process, but… what was done was done.
Now just work around it, he concluded in his mind. Considering his pep talk finished, he left the area, before somebody saw him talking to himself, or a cameramen caught on and tried to get the whole thing on tape. Not before, however, he grunted in agony.
"Maaaan! So freakin' tired!"
"I cannot believe they gave me a five! A five! Do they have any idea how hard it is to teach a shark how to cheer?" Courtney's complaints filled the inside of the bus.
Duncan chose not to comment that training his pet to change to his mohawk's color had been no picnic either, as he sat between Courtney and the window with his arms behind his head and his eyes blissfully closed.
The bus they were riding in contained only the three remaining contestants, their respective pets, Chris and Chef, who was driving the bus the way he usually drove- like a madman.
Chris was in the front of the bus, giving Chef directions, aloof from what the teens were doing.
"Especially," Courtney went on. "since that," she nodded at Beth, not caring to lower her voice. "doofus over there got the highest mark for an impression she barely even tried for."
The so-called doofus turned around on her seat and faced the other girl, "Courtney, I got a ten because I bonded with my creature," she said, petting her raccoon's fur for extra effect.
Courtney scoffed. "Please, the only reason you got a ten is because Chris was trying to piss me off by-gah!," she hastily grabbed onto the back of the seat in front of her after Chef took a particularly sharp curve, that caused the slumbering Duncan to fall on her shoulder.
Beth, who had nearly fallen off her seat, adjusted her lop-sided glasses and retorted, "You're just jealous that I won the first challenge," with a jeering tone that truly wasn't typical of her.
Courtney gasped and turned to her boyfriend. "Duncan! Are you hearing this? Aren't you gonna defend me?"
Duncan cracked one eye open -painfully-, and glared at Beth. "Dork. Shut it," he stated in his dangerous voice, one that could make stronger souls break out in cold sweat. "Don't make me go over there."
"You wouldn't hit a girl," Beth said in a surprised tone.
Duncan didn't miss a beat. "I wouldn't, but what's that have to do with you?"
Beth gasped and then frowned at him, but didn't say anything as she turned around and sat back on her seat.
Okay, maybe that had been a little harsh. But she had left herself right open for that one, and Duncan couldn't help himself.
His smirk disappeared as he looked at Courtney, who was wearing a pout, probably still beating herself up about the first challenge.
"Courtney," he called. He was getting used to refraining from pet names, even if it did feel awkward still. Before, calling her by her real name would have meant he was about to say something serious or important; now, you couldn't tell. Courtney had her attention turned on him. "Listen, the first challenge isn't that big a deal. It's always the last challenge that gives you invincibility, right?"
Courtney looked at him, processing his words, and then she started to smile and her face filled with sweetness. "Oh, Dunky, you're completely right," she said as she gave him a hug and laid her head on his shoulder. "You're so smart, honey." A gladly surprised Duncan automatically wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
She snuggled up to him, and Duncan suddenly thought that the only thing better than taking a long nap today would be taking a nap with Courtney. He kissed her temple before remembering the contract with a start, but he reassured himself thinking that he was allowed to kiss her cheek and her forehead, and the temple was just kind of a meeting point between the two.
She didn't scold him, so his theory must have been correct. Duncan breathed normally again.
Then something changed in his eyes, and he slipped his other hand to the back of her knee, attempting to pull her legs over his.
Courtney tensed her muscles, keeping her legs where they were. "Duncan," she hissed.
"No one's watching," he whispered in her ear before she could say anything, and began massaging her thigh with his thumb.
"There are cameras," she said angrily, trying to put distance between them. "There are always cameras."
"You said you'd be more flexible when we were in private," he said, looking at her straight in the eye.
"We're not in private. And anyhow, it is in the contract, you know," she argued with the almighty tone she normally used to convince other people she was right. "And if we start transgressing it now…" he didn't wait until she finished to angrily remove his hand from her leg altogether, as well as the arm around her shoulders. He just couldn't stand her using that tone on him.
Courtney stayed motionless for a second, taken aback, before she realize there was no reason for her to be hugging him if he wasn't hugging her back, and sourly slipped her arms off his shoulders, folding her hands over her lap with an equally peeved expression.
Then a beeping sound was heard, and the brunette jumped. "Oh, that's right!" she produced her PDA from her back pocket. "I had a message from…-"
Unfortunately, in that moment the bus took a sharp turn, in which Beth screamed bloody murder and Duncan had to hang onto the seat with one hand and onto Courtney with the other, since she currently wasn't holding onto anything.
Everybody groaned once the bus stopped with a screech and a dangerously pronounced tilt.
"Hatchet!" Duncan roared. "Where the Hell you learn how to drive? Prison!"
"Don't get me started, kid!" the man growled, just as livid, as he started the vehicle again and moved forward a few feet at a calm pace. "I'd like to see you try to drive right with this little man here giving you directions!"
"Alright, this is the place, cast! Get off the bus already!" Chris announced, passing over Chef's accusation, and exited the bus. "Here we are, gang. Don't you just looove field trips?"
The three annoyed contestants slowly descended, carrying their pets with them. Courtney was the last one, struggling to get her shark in its tank off the bus.
"Stupid fish," she said between pants.
"Need help?" Beth asked, putting kindness over the sympathy –or lack thereof- she may have for the person she offered her help to.
"Got this," Courtney replied, pride lashing out by instinct, as she made it to the ground and glared at her pet. "I was so close to getting into a fight with this thing," she said, adressing anyone who might be listening, which happened to be Beth. "It saved him that he got a bit of the routine at the end."
"You'd get in a fight with a shark?" the other girl asked.
"I'd win, too," Courtney stated.
Chris spoke up. "Your next challenge is to find your way back to the film lot. A ten-mile hike through this woods," at this words the teenagers seemed to deflate. Beth looked apprehensive and Duncan hunched more than he already was, cursing Chris for choosing the most tedious challenge on possibly his worst day since the competition started. At least back on the Dodgeball Challenge he had gotten some sleep. "Using only your animals buddies to guide you."
They three looked at their animals without much faith. Duncan briefly noted that this should be around the time Courtney would start protesting about how she could possibly benefit from a shark in a tank. He looked over at her and saw she didn't look worried at all; she was standing straight with her arms crossed and expression calm, defiant even.
"But be careful," Chris went on. "Several life-threatening traps have been set up along the way."
Beth gasped. "Who would do such a thing?" she asked, ever so naïve.
"Um, me?" Chris replied, pointing at himself. "First one back wins invincibility. Beth gets thirty minutes off the final time for winning the first challenge."
Beth beamed as Courtney gasped and looked about to protest. Duncan thought she was going to call him up for his slightly off-base prediction, but she just glared at Beth.
"Everyone ready? See you all back at the film lot and, good luck," Chris said, not looking like he meant those last words at all.
The bus took off as the three teens started at the woods around them. Beth shrugged and went towards the left. Duncan was about to take the right way, when he felt Courtney yank his arm torwards her.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, arms crossed, as Duncan looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Please tell me this isn't about another rule in that stupid contract, he thought. He was still ticked off at her for the little scene at the bus, that had pretty much destroyed what little hope he had harbored when he realized she planned to verily stick to that section of the contract.
However, that wasn't at all what Courtney was planning to tell him. "We don't need to walk around blindly," she said with a smirk. "Chris forgot he left me this little asset," she held up her PDA. "Hello, GPS."
Duncan grinned wickedly. "Whoa-oh, nice!"
Courtney went to the Menu and looked for the GPS application, when she felt Duncan's presence looming over her shoulder and, anticipating him making a move on her, swiftly stepped aside. "No," she told him.
Duncan frowned. "I'm just trying to watch the screen, Princess," he said in an annoyed tone.
"Oh," she said, and reassumed her previous position, letting him peer over her shoulder. Neither had noticed he had broken a rule just now.
Courtney clicked on the GPS icon, and a message appeared on the screen:
GPS blocked
Courtney gasped as Duncan frowned. "I think Chris already thought of that," he said.
"How did he grab a hold of it?" she asked, staring at her phone in disbelief, as Duncan turned around to pick up his animal. She looked up at Duncan with worried eyes. "You think he went in my trailer?"
"You're always losing that thing," he stated as she scowled at him. "What? It's true!"
Her scowl got deeper. "Whatever!" she said. "Let's just go." She started pushing her shark's tank forward. Duncan stayed where he was, looking at her in puzzlement.
"Uh, where are you going?"
She turned her head. "Where do you think? To the film lot, naturally," she placed her hands on her hips.
"Film lot is that way," he said, pointing to his right.
"Um, no. It's this way," she pointed ahead. "The bus turned around there, this is the right way," she explained as she approached Duncan.
"The bus turned like a million times! How could you possibly tell?" Duncan retaliated. "When Chris and Chef left on the bus, they went that way," he said, pointing to his right. "Why do you think that is?"
"To confuse us, maybe?" she pointed out. "Duncan, we're losing time. Let's just go this way," she insisted, trying to pull him.
"I've a better sense of direction than you," he said, staying put.
"But I have a better memory," she replied, closing in on his face.
"Well I can last longer in the woods!" he threw in.
"What's that got to do with anything?" Courtney demanded, throwing her arms up in the air.
"It has to do," he said heatedly, "that if I get lost, I've a better chance to survive than you, so I'll take your wrong, messed up road," he pointed to his front, "and you take my right one" he pointed at his right, and began to walk forward, chameleon on shoulder.
"Fine," Courtney called after him. "I'll take this road. Only to show you you're wrong," she began pushing her shark towards where Duncan had signalled. "See you at the film lot. Someday!" she called, talking louder as they got further apart.
"Courtney!" Duncan shouted.
"What!" she snapped, stopping as well.
"Good luck!" he said, cupping both hands around his mouth. It felt wrong to let her go without saying something.
Courtney looked at him through the trees that came in between them, at exactly the same distance as her from the point where they had separated. After a moment, she crossed the diagonal line that separated them, swung her arms around his shoulders, and laid a soft kiss on his lips, barely giving him time to return it before she pulled away.
"Good luck," she replied, trying to keep her tone steady even though it was laced with lust after the much-too-short kiss.
Duncan smiled in satisfaction as Courtney went back to her animal, and they both went on their own way.
Chapter 10 is either gonna be uber-long or short-ish because I divided it in two. In any case, it's already half-written :)
~The Lighthouse