Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted.
A/N: Another Aftermath chapter! But I'm briefly getting into it. And very briefly. And it's changed up just a tiny bit, of course. Thank you all for the reviews! Yes, this chapter is shorter, but hopefully I'll be able to come up with more ideas soon. (And remember - if you have any, please throw them out!) Of course, I've got a few plots already stirring up... And the next one includes huge drama! Well, it starts out slow, and then it builds up...! Expect that in maybe three or four chapters. Keep the reviews coming! Enjoy!
Duncan sighed, tossing the television remote back onto the couch. He had just gotten done watching the second Total Drama World Tour Aftermath special, and boy was that special. Bridgette and Geoff (or rather, the producers) set up a fundraiser to get the actual contestants flying around again. He was not going to donate any money to them, and because his Ma was slightly gullible, he texted her to not donate, either. The whole show was, yet again, just one cluster of confusion. The thing that shocked him the most was animals ravaging the set - how could they let wild animals loose?
He felt bad for Courtney, who would, yet again, regret going to an Aftermath show. During the beginning of the special, when no one was calling in, the camera would zoom on past contestants, who were to answer their phones if anyone called. The contestants were doing their own thing, whether it was eating or listening to music or whatever they did to pass time. Courtney was texting on her phone, and while she wouldn't admit it to a very curious Blaineley (who accused Courtney of texting a mysterious guy, prompting Courtney to snap at the older woman), she was actually texting Duncan. He enjoyed the small conversation they had, because were talking about how much of a bitch Blaineley was being that night.
His phone then began to immediately ring. He smiled, seeing that it was his girlfriend calling. He answered the call with a drawled out, "Hello?"
Courtney's giggles filled his ear, much to his pleasure. She said, "Hello, darling. How are you doing?"
"I'm good. I'm a bit tired, though. Are you alright after tonight?"
"Oh, God, no. Well, physically, yes. I don't ever want to go back!"
"Well, at least you weren't clawed up that badly..."
"Oh, I wasn't injured by any animal," she explained, much to his surprise. "Those of us who weren't injured were made to look injured by the make-up team."
"Wow," Duncan said, slightly speechless. "That's, uh... Special."
"The one and only word to describe this whole thing, unfortunately. Anyways, I'm calling to let you know I'll be home late..."
"What's up?" he asked, frowning slightly. He loved now living with her, because they were able to fall asleep and wake up by each other. In the back of his head, he knew there would be a time where that may not happen, and he wasn't too fond of the idea.
"Bridgette and I are going out for a quick bite. She just wanted to catch up, since we rarely see each other. I hope you don't mind..."
"Not at all," Duncan softly said, smiling. "Tell Malibu I said 'hello'."
Courtney giggled, much to his reluctance. "I will. I'll see you later, sweetie."
"Alrighty. I love you," he said, adding that last part in a sing-song voice.
She once again giggled before saying, "I love you, too. Bye."
"Bye," he chuckled, hanging up. He hopped into his wheelchair and wheeled into his room. Because he was already wearing sweats and a t-shirt, he didn't bother changing into something else. He hopped into his bed and turned onto his back. He stared at the ceiling, his right arm resting underneath his head, and his left arm resting on his chest. He was pretty sure nothing was going through his mind at that moment. He was just laying peacefully in bed, silence surrounding him. Soon, he shut his eyes and entered a deep sleep...
"Sweetie, you gotta wake up."
Courtney frowned as Duncan's face contorted into a confused direction. He was having some sort of crazy dream, possibly a nightmare. She leaned down and rested her hand on his arm. "Duncan," she softly, but firmly said. "Wake up."
He then began to slowly open his eyes, his facial expression still confused. He was confused by a number of things, mostly at the fact that he was laying stomach-down. He remembered falling asleep on his back. "My leg hurts," he muttered.
"I was just about to ask why you're sleeping on your stomach," Courtney softly said, sitting down next to him. "Does your arm hurt?"
He shook his head, groaning as he slowly rolled onto his back. "Fuck..." he muttered, grimacing once on his back.
"Do you need any medicine?" she asked, reaching over and patting his leg.
He shook his head. "I'm good," he softly said. He looked at her and asked, "How long have you been here?"
"Just a minute," she explained. "You were moving around a bit, and you were also groaning... What were you dreaming about?"
He blinked a few times as the dream hit him. "I was at the Aftermath last night," he explained. "I wasn't wearing any casts, but I did hurt my leg... Aah, no wonder it hurts now..."
"How did you hurt your leg in your dream?"
"I fell off the couch."
She softly smiled. "Strange."
"I was trying to get away from the ravage animals. Strangely enough, you weren't around until the end of the dream... Ooh. You were waking me up, weren't you?"
She nodded. "I must have appeared in your dream. But, yes, I did wake you up. I was worried about you."
He shrugged, watching her lay down next to him. "How was your late meal with Malibu?"
"It was good," she said, smiling at him. "Do you mind if her and Geoff come over tomorrow? They'll both be in town for a few more days..."
"Fine by me," he said. He then let out another yawn and muttered, "Are you tired?"
She proceeded to yawn before answering, "A little bit. Here, let me change and then I can turn off all the lights-"
"You don't have to go to bed if you're not tired," he said, smiling softly at her.
She shrugged, standing up and walking towards their dresser. "I want the lights off, but we can talk until we fall asleep."
"Sounds like a plan," he said. He watched her take off her clothes and put on her pajamas. He loved her body. She was a beautiful woman. She had the perfect curves, and they were in the perfect places. He knew she went through her phases where she thought she wasn't the prettiest or the skinniest. Everyone had their down moments, but he would make sure to reassure her that she was neither fat nor ugly.
"Can't keep your eyes off of me, huh?" Courtney teased, walking over to the bed.
Duncan smirked at her. After she turned off her light and laid closer to him, he wrapped an arm around her. "You know it. So, are you excited about starting school in a couple of months?"
"I guess," she softly said. "I just... It'll be hard work. I have enough credits from high school to be considered a second-year student."
"Really?" Duncan asked, truly surprised.
She nodded. "Yep. I've got most of my basic classes out of the way. I'll be taking basic lawyer classes this year, and then hopefully I'll be eligible for early admission into Law School."
"You're gonna be a great lawyer," he told her, patting her back as she turned onto her side.
As she snuggled closer to him, she let out a few giggles. She asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Well, you can really argue." They both laughed before he continued, "That's about it, really. Well, you know how to get your point across..."
"You've been to court, right?"
He nodded, though his face looked perplexed. "Once, when I was sixteen. That's when I got sent to Juvie the time before the show started. And then I almost went to court back in March, but instead everything was decided in the judge's office."
"Did that guy go to jail?" she asked, referring to his former friend.
"Oh, yeah," he said, smirking. "He went to the slammer for two whole weeks."
"Was he there while you were there?"
He shook his head. "He was there before I was. Honestly, babe, I probably would have punched him if I saw him there."
"Oh, I'm sure that would have gone well," she muttered. She then looked up at him and asked, "Why did he go there before you?"
"My parents were really trying to keep me out of jail," he explained. "Finally, when we met up with the judge, it was, like... There was too much evidence against me. The weed in the car, the smell on me, me yelling at the police officer..." He shrugged. "It was a learning experience, I guess."
"I don't want you going there again," she told him. Her face was serious, but her eyes were scared, like she knew something like this very well could happen again.
He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "As long as I'm with you, there's nothing to worry about," he murmured against her lips, staring deep into her dark eyes.
She softly smiled, returning the gentle kiss. "I sure hope so," she whispered.
"I promise," he softly, but firmly, said. "I even promise you can break up with me if that happens."
"Unless you did something terrible, I doubt I would do that," she told him. She was genuinely shocked by his words. She knew he wasn't joking around. Their relationship meant a lot to each other, and both wanted it to last.
"What's up?" he softly asked. He had looked down to see her having a distant look on her face.
She shook her head. With a small smile on her face, she softly told him, "I'm just glad to have you as a boyfriend, that's all."
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Our friends are here."
"Really, Duncan?" Courtney groaned, opening her eyes and groggily staring at her smug boyfriend. "You couldn't wake me up earlier?"
"Hey, I didn't know they'd be here at this time," he informed her. "Plus, it's ten. I was about to wake you up anyway."
"Thanks," she muttered, watching him wheel out of the room. She let out a sigh as she sat up. She felt so very tired, and despite wanting to continue laying in bed, she got up. She shut the door before putting on a pair of jeans. She left on the tank top that she slept in, and decided she would change out of it if they happened to go out. She ran a hand through her hair, hoping it didn't look too messy.
She grew confused as she walked out of her room. As far as she could tell, Duncan and her were the only ones in the apartment! "Where are Bridgette and Geoff?" she asked.
Duncan turned around. His smirk turned into a sympathetic smile. He knew she was tired when he woke her up, but she looked even more tired standing in front of him. He was awoken a few times by her tossing and turning, so he figured that she didn't have a good night's rest. "They just found a parking spot, actually," he informed her. "I figured I'd wake you up before they got here."
She tiredly smiled at him as she softly and playfully slapped his shoulder. She walked out of the room and into the bathroom, where she proceeded to brush her hair. It didn't look so bad, but she wanted to brush it before her friends got there. She also applied a bit of mascara. She looked at herself in the mirror. While she still look tired, at least she looked decent.
"You look fine, you know."
Courtney looked over, smiling bashfully at her boyfriend. He was leaning against the doorway, something that she was still getting accustomed to. Because he didn't want to sit down all day, he would stand up, usually leaning against something, for a few minutes each day. She quietly said to him, "Thanks."
"Did you sleep well?"
She shrugged. "Sort of. What about you?"
He also shrugged. "I slept alright."
She nodded. She then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. She smiled when his arms wrapped around her. They remained that way for a minute, quiet and holding each other. She then leaned back slightly before leaning up and softly kissing him.
"You need to brush your teeth," he murmured against her lips, smirking.
She pecked his lips before murmuring, "As do you."
He grinned, returning the peck before slowly leaning back into his wheelchair. "Enough standing time for today," he murmured. A knock was suddenly heard at their door. He smirked at his girlfriend and asked, "Well, then. Shall we?"
"We shall."