Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The season three final was a day filled with anger, regret, suspense, and other mixed strong emotions.

But with common emotions shared. Hatred for the final two.

No words of encouragement or spite erupted from anyone, only the side conversations that occurred when one or the other was in danger or too close to the finish line. But when Alejandro won, most of the reaction came off negative.

They were excluding the reaction of pure idolization from the girls who swooned over him and the admiration seen in Cody’s eyes.

Upon seeing this, Alejandro's eyes focused on the short brunette for longer than he should have after gazing over the other eighteen contestants. Yet before his stare could linger anymore, he was snapped back to reality by the sadistic host firmly placing one hand on his shoulder as he handed him the suitcase.

“ Congrats, Al, for winning a million big ones! And since you won, we need you to do a little speech for the audience before we end it here.”

“ Well… since I won due to my smarts and strength, I’d like to say it was an honor competing with most of you,” He said, not paying attention to the glares they gave him as he continued. “ Now that I have my winnings, I want to thank someone who helped me along the way, plan some of my tactics, and many other acts, Please come forth”

The confusion on their faces was amusing to Alejandro, but it was even more entertaining as Cody made his way through the crowd. Most of the teen’s jaws hung open, others' eyes looking as if they were to pop out of their sockets.

The puzzling looks and blank stares followed, as well as the shocked face of the host, who supposedly knew everything. The young teen continued his short walk until he stood next to Alejandro, with a smile glued to his face.

“Ok, what the hell is going on!” Heather exclaimed.

“What's going on is...” Cody began, “ Jandro and I made a deal around the start of the season. I ended up getting along a bit later on. We started planning out most of the acts Alejandro performed.” Once he finishing , Alejandro was proud of the brunette who spoke with confidence and life, something he knew Cody lacked before and more so on the show.

Everyone stood in silence, except for Gwen, who pushed through the group, being the only one who could respond.

“ Hold up! Cody, what you’re telling me, is all the drama he caused and the schemes he pulled. YOU helped him cause All of that! Why, out of all the people on this show to work with, would you choose him? The one who manipulated so many of us! Hell! He could be manipulating you!"

“I must agree with Gothy, Al Knocked you off into shark-infested water! He is a slippery eel that can’t change,” Noah added as he moved beside her.

“He didn’t knock me off. Heather did, she hit one of the loose boards under me, plus I did not help cause all the drama, all I did was help keep supposition off us.” Cody scoffed,

“ And I still helped him because he was the first and only person who treated me like an equal instead of a liability or an annoying little kid.”

“Ok, still, why would Al work with you? Why not someone like Heather or Duncan!”

Whispering Among themselves, Alejandro was known for his manipulating personality and how quickly he could become the main villain of anyone's story. He was not the type of person to care for anyone considered below him, and with them being the complete opposite, he should have said enough. Making the whispering teens think about the possible reason such different people as themselves would work together. Maybe Al was holding Blackmail on Cody? Or was it the other way around?

But as they grew, the more uncomfortable the tooth-gap teen seemed to get, all the confidence he had faded before the Hispanic’s very eyes caused a sting in his heart. Having people you consider friends look at you with eyes full of disbelief and disgust toward someone you care about would hurt. Thinking quickly, Alejandro said something so unpredictable, that things would take a turn.

“Why wouldn’t I choose my boyfriend to be my partner in crime,”

“BOYFRIEND!?”

“ Si mi amigos, now, if you excuse us, we’re heading back to the resort,” Al huffed, keeping his composure as he turned towards Cody and gently grabbed his hand. He feels satisfied when a light, noticeable shade of pink spreads across his now-announced lover’s face.

“Mi amor~”

The newly announced couple then began their journey back to the civilized part of the Hawaiian islands, hand-in-hand, leaving behind the cast and TV crew in such a state of shock that nobody reacted to Sierra's loud cries and shouts.

Chapter Text

The morning sun began to rise through the resort curtains, filling rooms with its bright rays, whether wanted or unwanted–In one room, two particular residents enjoyed the warmth it provided while they slept, yet were irritated by its brightness. The larger one of the duo shields the other just for them to shift.

Said figure slowly opened his eyes, which landed on the other young man in his arms. Alejandro admired how light freckles traveled from the ‘ geeks’ thigh up to his face– and how soft their hair felt despite looks. lightly traced the scars wrapped around Cody’s body like an artist carefully putting the finishing touches on a sculpture. Yet, no matter how many times he gawked at the candy-loving man, he couldn’t help himself from loving him all over again.

That’s why it pained Alejandro to see how upset Cody was during the final. After they left the candy-loving teen was noticeably quiet throughout the day, only speaking when they were finally alone in their room. Cody poured his feelings out that night, about how upsetting it was to see contestants he considered friends' reactions to being so adverse, how the look in their eyes reminded him of the ‘chess accident’ or his time in Daycare. All the Hispanic did was listen to him while he spiraled, and words of reassurance followed soon after–Calming Cody down till he fell asleep right in his arms.

Laying there Alejandro began thinking of ways to help his Cielito, with his friends, his stalker, and then some. But first, they needed to eat something edible, that wasn’t whatever chefs made. In an attempt to get up, Cody half awake lazily shifts, mumbling nonsense.

“Morning mi amor,”

*Yawn* “Good morning Al.” Ignoring the nickname, he sat still and watched as Cody snuggled into the crook of his neck.

“Cody, we have to get breakfast–get up,”

“Noo~ too comfy to move,”

“ Cariño you need something to eat, you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning.” Alejandro patiently waited for a response, but the silence lingered longer than he’d liked.
“ Cody, are you awake?” A wave of doubt washed over him, but as quick as it came, it soon disappeared once a quiet sound traveled to his ears, familiarizing it with Cody's light snoring.

Al softly chuckled, carefully moving him till he could leave the bed, dressing well enough to hide the bruises around his body, and out the door; with two simple goals in mind. 1.) To make Cody happy, 2.) To not cause a scene.

“Al-jerk-o!”

Ay, dios mio…

Not even down the hall, the former Queen Bee walked or some would even say marched towards him, giving off an eerie feeling with each step getting closer.

“ Ah senorita, what a surprise to see you up this early, surely you would have still been sleeping,”

“ Don’t pull that ‘wHaT a SurPrISe’ crap on me Al,” her eyes lightly shined as she watched the muscle tense and hand tighten around the doorknob before falling to his side. The effect some people have from just saying a simple word.

“ Don’t call me Al,”

“Why? I don’t see you having a problem when Cody called you that?”

“We both know why, but I am wondering why it matters to you. I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with jealousy,”

“ Oh please! Me being jealous of whatever both of you have going on? I just trying to make sure you don’t pull anything on Cody— he is one of the few people I can stand being around and don’t wanna deal with him crying to me and saying how you broke his heart.” Heather stated.

That statement slightly surprised Alejandro, that Heather of all people, showed up at their door to make sure CODY was okay and that Alejandro didn’t hurt him. At first, he thought she was planning something, trying to manipulate them into something, to figure out each word was as sincere as they were spoken. It shouldn’t have shocked him; throughout the show, both Heather and his santo del cielo were seen having somewhat friendly encounters whether for the game or another purpose.

However, the shock was not nearly as strong as how offended and irritated that she would just assume he would hurt such a nice and loving person like Cody. Sure he tricked most of the contestants with his good looks and charms, but it was obvious in the eyes of the media and others that he had no real attraction towards them. But what he had with the other boy was real. Their midnight chats in the plane, their very ‘touching’ moment in first class when the cameras were off, and all the others in between, were all real at least to Alejandro.

"To think you would have some faith in me after everything we have been through, what would I gain from mi Querido now that the game is over,” he said, letting bitterness molding into his tone when trying to keep a calm facade.

“ And what confuses me is why would YOU of all people would care about someone who isn't just your pawn? Did you not say you didn't come on this show to make friends, right Heather?”

"Listen here you–" Her voice rosed till it was the sound of the door handle juggling a few times before the brunette hair poked out."Is everything good- oh hey, Heather!”

"Hello Cody,” She said, her tone shifted, as well as the look on the Queen Bees' face while they both continued talking. Alejandro quickly realized their conversation was supposed to be between them and that Heather didn’t want Cody to see or hear any.

Yet, here he was space out, their voices falling to deaf ears.

“ hey Alejandro, are you still with us,”

Brought back to reality, Al took notice of the big blue eyes that stared into his and how close the tooth-gap teen was that he had to stop himself from kissing his boyfriend right then and there to respond, "I am, just thinking of what we can do after we eat."
“Hmmm, ok Heather, do you still want to join us for breakfast?”

What!? he turned back to the raven-haired girl again, but that time was met with a more unnerving, more or less than the snake-like smile on her face.

“ I guess I could eat with you guys, this once,”

"Great!" Cody beamed, oblivious or not recognizing the hostility between the evil duo. “Let me get change then we can head out.” And with that, the door closed for the second time, leaving them alone once again.

"Hurt him and I’ll make sure Sierra isn’t the only one in a wheelchair, Al-Jerk-o,”

"I don’t plan on either of those things ever happening señorita.”

Chapter Text

To say breakfast was somewhat pleasant would be half correct from either party. On one side, the new couple was unease by the other contestant's unnatural quietness when they appeared, and their eyes zeroed in on them outside toward the bar. On the other hand, most contestants were still uneasy seeing the duo together, others were wary of Alejandro and his plans’ for Cody. Yet, a handful of contestants just didn’t like the idea of the two together.

Cody was more than nervous when leaving the safety of their room to, in Alejandro’s words, “seize the day,” but he knew nothing would be worth seizing when you worried what your ‘friends’ and stalker might do. One of the reasons he wanted to stay in bed. The tooth-gap teen could have, if not for Heather's quick convincing.

In the hallway, the three of them walk and talk, but it is more distracting than talking. Cody knew they were because when had either of them been into Candy's history? Heather noticing his visiable worries, pulled him to the side, much to Al’s dislike.

“Could you stop being a baby and caring about what people think of you!” Heather said, low enough so that the Hispanic couldn’t hear.

“That's easy for you to say! You don’t have a stalker or friends right now that could turn on you at any moment,”

“ Cody,” Heather sighed,“ Caring about others is something I don’t dapple in; However, that’s your whole thing, which is hard to find on this dumb show, so listen carefully…”

She then pierced into his eyes, making sure he was paying attention,“ Care about what you want instead of what people want because you either give in like a loser or fight for the thing you want whether it be money or… Whatever the two of you have going on, and-" she pause, shoulders tense along with her grip on his arm.

"I’d like to say I-I am sorry for “accidentally” knocking you into shark-infested water or whatever...”

The last sentence trailing inaudible mumbles Cody probably wouldn't hear if the hall weren’t so quiet, to say he was surprised would be a understatement but was touched by her words of encouragement none the less. He only realized that he hadn’t said a word, due to the feeling in his arms were coming back.

He wanted to thank her for being in his corner or babble about how much those words helped him, though the first thing that came out his mouth was a thing he’d regret.

“Wow, that’s surprisingly sweet coming from you,”

“Ugh! Really! That’s one of the most sincere pep talks I’ve given and all you say is Wow!,” 

“Wait, no, I'm sorry–” “That last time I offered any invoice AND tried to apologize! And another thing–,” Everything seemed to go back to normal after that.  

Thinking back on it, she was right. Cody just wanted to relax with Alejandro and drink a frozen strawberry lemonade or a Virgin Mai Tia, something he WOULD enjoy regardless of what others said or did, today was their first day on their six-week vacation after all. 

Besides; it’s not like he could change everyone's minds, in the end, all that mattered was how Jandro and himself felt, not the contestants, not the stupid show, or even their parents.

Cody then led the two towards the outside bar once they got their breakfast from the Buffet table, he ate his food while soaking in both the ex’s villains' petty conversation about who had the best alliance. It wasn’t until Heather left to talk to Harold did Alejandro started to show more affection.

Draped an arm around Cody’s shoulder, who then laid his head against it, neither one pushing for more as a supple yet welcome feeling began to form.

Neither wanted to rush into things around other people, even when one gets too touching or too possessive when someone (Sierra) gets too comfortable with the other. But being so close seemed to cause a weird, lovely feeling to course through the 'geeks' veins, like the feeling when you can finally eat your favorite food after what seemed to be decades.

“ I thought you didn’t want to cause unnecessary attention?” 

“Mi Amor, everyone who at least knows about total drama will be aware of our relationship,”

“ You just like messing with the others, don't you~” Cody gave a toothy grin as he spoke, sitting down his colorful drink just as Al wrapped both arms around the smaller teen's side and pulled him closer till Cody’s back was against his bare chest. “Only your parents, Heather, Sierra, Noah, and anyone else who has a problem with what they can’t understand,”

“Sooo- everyone,”

“Sí,” he said, taking slow sips from it. If he wasn't to smug, he would've been able to hear the commotion behind him 

"You know who isn't bothered by it,” Cody's response only confused Al, especially when he looked behind him a final time, a mischievous smile plastered on his face.  

"Hmm, can’t think of anyon–” “ Hey Guys!”  Al ended up choking on his drink hearing the voice of one of the most annoying competitors he met, the cup could’ve cracked with how much pressure with the Hispanic put on it.

“Hi, Owen!”

“ Hola mi amigo…” 

The blonde picked the couple up with ease, putting them into a bone-crushing hug that would have snapped them in half. “Izzy wants a group hug too!” she then jumped on them, taking everyone to the ground.

“Izzy! Owen! Get off them before you both flatten them,” Noah yelled from across the bar, not looking up from their newest book. 

“ Huh? Oh! Sorry guys, let me just.” rising from the ground, Izzy clingy to his back. Owen picked the due up easily, trying yet failing to fix Alejandro's messy hair, only worsening it. "Wait- I think I got it, uh no not that way; Maybe if I…”

It takes Al so much not to smash one of the bar stools over the blond boy’s and play it off as an accident(which would fail poorly in front of your boyfriend and rival). while this happened, a sly, mocking smile formed on Noah's face as he watched, Izzy was now nowhere to be seen, and Cody was standing to the side, laughing at his misfortune.  

“ Mi amigo, thank you, but I think I can fix my hair,” Al added, accidentally using a more unfriendly manner  when swatting the blonde back. It went unknown to Owen. But not to the two multi-layer-wearing teens. His boyfriend lightly jabbed  his side before leading them to Noah's table who simply glared at Alejandro, that was kindly returned. “So Noah, buddy. How have you been? We haven’t all really talked since Action,” 

“ No, we haven’t, probably should have talked more, than maybe  could have found out you were dating an eel,” he bluntly stated with a normal amount of sarcasm, still not looking up from his still.

The bookworms' reactions to it were simply shocking to most people at the table, yet didn't affect Cody or Al due to it being his way of dealing with socializing. Their bigger, more forgiving friend, on the other hand, didn't catch on "Noah!”

“What? You both can’t tell me that seeing the two together isn’t strange,”

“ Don’t you think it is a kind of mean to say things like that, little buddy?” 

“ No. I’m honestly interested in how it happened,” Izzy then appeared hanging from the patio umbrella“ Izzy is also interested, did it happen while the plane blew up or after the Greece's Pieces,” 

“ Un-well, wait when did we decide we were a couple,”

“Hmm, I believe after the Paris episode,” Al told him, leaning across the bar flat-top and stirring his drink. Cody groaned as the memories flooded back. “ yeah how could I forget…”

“Aww Cody~ no estés enojado, that night couldn't have gone any different, yet it ended on a great note for both of us,”

" I still say that episode sucked,"

"That's not what you said the night after," Cody's face turned red as he pushed a laughing Alejandro away. Soon, Owen and Izzy began laughing along with Al in a more friendly way, while Noah pretended to gag before lightly laughing with them.

Sitting across the pool sat Duncan, Gwen, Sierra, and jarringly Geoff, sipping colorful summer drinks and glaring at the back of the Hispanic’s head, hoping to burn a hole in the back of it if able to.

“We all agree that Cody shouldn’t be with Al, right?” the goth stated, face scrunching up when Al wrapped his hand around her friend's waist, pulling him closer to his chest. “ Yeah, gotta say, the geek and eel aren’t going to last at least a year,”

“ I say until the end of our vacation dudes. Al’s like a real piece of work and a freaky mystery, He'll just end up breaking little bros’ heart.” Geoff stated, watching Sierra cut out paper dolls shaped like Al, very aggressively tearing them apart before repeating the process. The party animal self-consciously scooted further away.

“ Hey weirdo, you're scaring Geoff.” However, Sierra didn't pay them no mind as she continued with her animalistic behavior.

“ Damn homewrecker, stealing my man! Codykins is supposed to live a happy life with me!” she then grabbed another. She tried the head off with her teeth. “ He is so not getting a place on my blogs,”

“Anyway… I just don’t want Cody to get hurt or caught in a weird love triangle, have you seen how Al and Heather acted during the world tour.”

“Totally dudette! I thought they would get together, you know? By bonding over money and evil villain stuff?”

“Why are you so worried about it, Boyfriend Kisser.” Standing in front of the little group stood a rather disgruntled CIT and a semi-annoyed Eva.

“What do you want Princess? Came over here to see what a happy couple looks like,” Duncan pulled Gwen onto his lap and watched as Courtney's eyebrows scrunched up, her hands balled into fists, ready to cause a scene if not for Eva interfering.

“We just came over here to get Geoff, Bridgette wants to talk to you,”

“ Oh, okay, see you later guys.” With that, the three of them left, Courtney, trailing behind, “You two should be ashamed, especially you, Gwen.”

“I am not going to feel guilty about what happened this season, what's done is done,” the goth sat up, still on her boyfriend's lap. Courtney only rolled her eyes, hand on her hip "Am I talking about you judging Cody and Alejandro's relationship when yours is remotely the same, if not worse.” The goth's eye went wide as she stared in shock not saying a word. 

Noticing how his girlfriend was clearly out of her zone, Duncan stepped in, "Watch it, princess, there’s a pool full of icy cold water with your name on it,”

“Was that a threat!” 

“ It can be whatever you need it to try and sue me with.” A screaming match broke out, and Gwen was too stunned to speak through it all. Was she being hypocritical? Her relationship was entirely different from theirs, and she thought Cody liked her, were those feelings a lie? I shouldn’t care about any of this, I’m happy with Duncan.

She then looked back to the couple again and focused on her friend a bit more. He'd seemed happier, more so than he was during the show and Gwen knew deep down she had to leave it alone, but this was Al her friend was dating and if she had to break them up herself, she would, maybe with the help of Sierra. Maybe...

Chapter Text

Sierra couldn’t believe it! She protected him, loved him, and cared for him, heck she had ‘married’ Cody in Niagara Falls! Yet, Alejandro was able to whisk her Codykins off his feet. 

After the purple-haired girl left the table to get more paper, she headed back to her room angrily took the pictures that had the Latin heart-throb in them, and slowly ripped him out of them one by one. Once she finished with all said photos, the superfan could think clearly.

 Wheeling over to her suitcase, and began rummaging through it, stopping once she pulled out an over-decorated and oversized notebook. The notebook was covered in different stickers related to total drama, small doodles, and neon color tape, the inside book was 10 times as bad as the cover except it full of information and opinions about the contestants that also had photos. Sierra turned the pages of the book before finding a blank one and started fiercely writing.

Plane Get My Cody Back And Make Alejandro Suffer

• Catch the home-wrecker in the act

• Show my husband the truth.

• Make Cody realize we’re meant to be.

• Get married and Live happily ever after♡♡♡

She shut the book and giggled thinking about the last part. But now wasn’t the time to think of the future, she needed to find ways to catch that Eel in the act! Ideas flood in like a storm on the south coast as she writes them down; However, anytime that happens, the plot holes and problems shun through. She could sneak into his hotel room and search for evidence, but that would be risky with the new couple sharing a room. Or she could follow him around until he has done something that seems remotely bad, yet that could prove pointless if timed wrong. Sierra would then tear the paper out, toss it to the side, and start from scratch, again, and again. 

Right before the 16th piece of paper was yet to be discarded, a knock on her door was heard.” It is unlocked!” She shouted, the person opening the door revealed to be Gwen, with an unusual look on her face. “ Oh hey, Gwen! Can you hand me my laptop on the shelf!” the goth nodded before doing what was asked.

“ Sierra, there’s something I need to ask you,”

“ Uh-huh, if it's about the Courtney x Duncan shippers on my blog, I can’t do anything about it,” Sierra said, not looking up from the screen.

“ What? No, it has to deal with Cody and Al,” her neck snapped so quickly she thought a way that freaked the other girl out,” I need your help to prove to Cody that the discount Justin is bad for him.” Gwen explained, she then went stiff as the hope and delight dimmed like she realized something.  The Unberfan turned in her wheelchair before she glared at the goth quite intensely. 

“ If you think I’ll help just so you can steal my man, then forget it!” 

She took a step back as the wheel-bounded girl stared at her with knitted brows, a bit baffled yet expecting that type of reaction. “ Sierra, I’m not going to steal ‘your man’ — I just want to make sure he doesn’t get hurt,” Gwen said at a quick pace, afraid of the Brazilian girl with the fuse of a nuclear bomb, yet still hoping her reason was good enough.

“ Fine, I’m listening,”

A day at the beach was relaxing with warm sun on your skin, sand between your toes, and all that jazz. At least that is what Alejandro tended. If not for team Escope and Owen tagging along. 

Sometime during breakfast, Alejandro and Noah got into an argument after the bookworm decided to blab about whether Al even was a good boyfriend, and in wanting to prove his rival wrong, he bragged about the schedule he planned for his lover. An accident on his part, since he let it slip heading to the beach after breakfast. When Al realized he made it by letting the Egghead get under his skin, it was already too late, for the Iron Woman and bookworm thought it would be a great idea to tag along since they were already planning to go to the beach. The Latin heart-throb knew that was a lie and would’ve insisted they leave them be, the excitement in Cody’s eyes made it hard for any words of disagreement to leave his mouth.

At the beach, laying on a soft towel, the sun beamed down on his tan skin, watching the others splash and play around in the water, all except one.

Noah, one of his smarter acquaintances, simply sat under the safety of an umbrella, absorbed in his book, not paying attention to the others who yelled with joy or distress. Even though the reason was there was to make sure none of them got arrested or sent back to Canada (Almost happened because of Izzy and Owen's need for food). 

“Alejandro!” Alejandro looked to the ocean again, hearing his name, and was met with a sight that almost made him melt. 

In the water, Cody standing in the sunlight that shines down on him, his swim shirt clingy to his skin, tracing out the curves and dents from top to bottom. Brown, shiny hair slicked back with the help of water and the geek's hand. The taller teen gawked, face appearing turning redder and hotter, similar to a computer overheating. He weakly waved at him, right before the boy was left on Eva’s shoulders and thrown back in the deep blue.

“Gee, who would’ve thought an eel could be such a hopeless romantic,” Noah said, eyes still glued on his book.

“ Well, mi amigo people are full of surprise.” 

Silence soon filled the space between them, with one of them having the social skills of a rock and the other not wanting to cause any more problems. Noah sighed, simply closed his book, and pulled his sunglasses up on his head.

“Look, you and I may not see eye to eye, but you need to answer truthfully,” He said and turned, facing him with a deadpan expression. “Do you actually like Cody,”

“ Of course I do,” 

“What do you like about him,”

Before his brain could process, words began pouring out his mouth like a broken drain connected to the main water line. He started with Cody’s appearance, followed by his traits and his personality, which quickly turned into him rambling, comparable to Harold's info dumping; However, as much as Noah hated when people did such things, he was interested while he watched the eel explain how he found his friend's terrible pick-up lines funny and sweet, unlike most people who would find them annoying.

The sarcastic teen tried to find any sign of lying or something, but could only find pure love and honesty when he spoke. Having enough information, sweetly sick talk decided it was time to wrap it up. 

“ Okay lover boy, I get it you're head over heels for the geek,” he said, trying to sound irritated to hide the amusement he felt, finding it harder as the eel sat stunned.  “Finally lost for words, Al?”

Alejandro, composed and alert, played along “Never, my short friend, though it’s nice to see you come up with better nicknames,”

“Hey, you're still an eel, but~ it’s going to be interesting finding different ways to rile you up with this bit of knowledge,” Alejandro chuckled before pushing himself up, face to face “We’ll see Noah, we’ll see.” 

“ Well, just so you know, I support you guys,” And for the first time since London, Noah genuinely smiled. The awkward silence that lingered before was gone and replaced with comfort and ease. 

The sound of yelling and shouting got closer and louder before the source scooped the bookworm up, who shrieked in response. Al would have found his short acquaintance’s demise if the force and weight of one of the other sources hadn’t jump in his lap. “ Guys! There's a new dessert shop on the boardwalk, and they have urban pastries!” Owen nearly squealed, already a list of them, but was interrupted by the Hispanic’s boyfriend,“ They have a chocolate and soda fountain! We have to head there right now!” The geek said, shaking him as he did so. As much as Alejandro loved his enthusiasm, he calmly but firmly grabbed his waist, before he softly spoke to him, “Mi Carlito, we have to get ready for the chocolate tour in an hour, and we still need to get clean,” Cody’s eyes practically light up at the mention, before he jumped out of his lap and started to pack things up.“Well, why are we still sitting here? Let’s go!”  Following his lead, they packed everything up in minutes.

 “ We’ll see you guys later,” Eva said, already far away and carrying most of the things while the others messed around up front, Noah flung over Owens’ shoulder with Izzy kicking the sand. 

“Bye, guys!” Cody yelled then grabbed Al’s hand, intertwining their fingers, “Let’s go.”

Walking down the road, a recent couple was seen walking down the road, one having a small gift bag, the other carrying what can be described as a grocery cart worth of chocolates.

“ Mi amor, would you like some assistance?” Al pulled Cody upright, taking hold of his now free hand, relishing in the warmth of it. Cody, " yeah I'm fine..." he voice died down when he looked up, face-to-face with man he had the pleasure to call his boyfriend, he then was only  able mumble nonsense about how handsome the taller teen was, mindlessly walked along Al, his hand still in Cody’s.

Chapter Text

After they dropped off the sweets and trinkets, the date continued once the couple made their way out of the to get better as they traveled through Hilo from a trip to the Pacific Tsunami Museum before, a quiet look through small shops, with Al buying a few new clothes and interesting hair products, Cody buying little souvenirs and outrageous clothes even with Al's’ help, both content in their little world, chatting about everything and nothing all at once as they walked down the street.

“That's how I got one of the interns to reserve a table for us,”

“Aww Al, it’s great that you would do something like that for us but did you have to blackmail them, I thought we talked about this,” Cody said, obviously unhappy.

“At the time, we didn’t talk about those topics revolving around our relationship,” Alejandro quickly retaliated and looked back at him, the brown-haired teen's face didn’t change much, if anything, he showed more irritation and interest than Alejandro thought.

 “You mean before we established if we started dating? Or before we set boundaries?” 

 Shocked, the taller one looked away in shame, trying to figure out a way around the uncomfortable situation he trapped himself in. “ Look! There is the restaurant”,

 Around the corner, past the people and carts, the restaurant could be seen, the cozy lighting traveled through the windows, seafoam green and white paint covering 

He said, grabbing his hand and walking fast.

“Hi, welcome to Café Pesto, Hilo Bay! Do you have a reserved table or reservation?” the host asked, with a polite smile on her face. “Yes, it is under the name Alejandro Burromuerto,”

“Burromuerto, burromuerto~ ah! Find it now if you could follow Keala,” she then pointed towards a boy wearing the same uniform but with a restaurant apron.

“ I’ll be back with your drinks.” 

The table they sat at was near the window where they could watch as the sun set behind the trees, a wonderful view. 

“Listen, I don’t see why you have a problem with Justin and Owen– they're great friends!”

“Please Dear, Justin is too envious of my looks and charms for any sort of friendship to form, and Owen,” Al shuddered at the memories containing that big oof, “there are too many things wrong with that Accident-prone dingus.”

“Hey! Owen may have a stroke of bad luck, but he is still a good friend!” Cody said, trying to defend his buddy, toe all quickly retaliated, “Well, you haven’t been around him enough for said bad luck to cling to you.”

“Hmph, well, I don’t question your friendship with Duncan,” “That was just a simple partnership between teammates, I knew what I needed to do.” 

“ Like how you knew we would be dating before I even said yes?” 

Alejandro chuckled nervously, responding“Uhm at the time it was merely hope and a confidence-based decision really,” ‘the geek’ only hummed, obviously not believing him. A far too similar silence fell between them.

Until Keala returned, trays balanced on their arms, “Here’s your drink! Are you gentlemen ready to order,” 

“I think we’re both ready, I’ll have the Volcano Mist with fried chicken,” 

“ I’ll take the Loco Moco please,”

“Okay! It will be out shortly!” Keala said with a friendly smile before walking away to deal with their other tables.

“Cody, Cielito, it was a mistake on my part but understand I’m working on how I treat others and I’ll stop using my wits in persuading people,” He reached over and grabbed the other's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. In response, he squeezed back before Cody looked him in the eyes. 

“Promise?”

“Promise”.

Instead of giving a verbal response, Cody only looked at him with a smile full of love and trust with eyes full of admiration and care. A look that made Alejandro melt in his hand. God, Noah was right, he was a hopeless romantic. The ‘geek’ began to pull his hand away  Al held it tighter, not enough to hurt him but enough for him to reconnect their hands. the disdain and need he felt must have been written on his face because not even a minute later Cody softly started to laugh. “Haha, relax Al, I'm not going to run away,” he swung their connected arms under the table as he continued, "Who would have thought someone like you could be so clingy." The latter simply rolled his eyes at Cody, before lining close in “Lo sé Cody, but do I need to remind you of our first kiss, hmm?”

For what felt like the tenth time today, Cody groaned, throwing his hand on his face in an attempt to hide. “Ugh don’t remind me,” yet, Al only continued to tease him more “ Aw, No hay necesidad de estar avergonzado, tu reacción fue linda.”

“ No, it wasn’t, I couldn’t process anything  for a good half of the day after that!”

“Come on you can’t say at  least didn’t enjoy it,”

“Hmm, fine! You got me there,”

memories seemed to fill their heads while they reminiscing in the past, both continued to talk about the topic, before coming to the same memory that led them to where they were now, the early morning after ‘Can’t Help Falling in Louvre’.

Far back in the cargo hold, away from the cameras and mics. The smaller one sitting on top of a crate talking away as the other leaned on the wall and listened, putting their two cents now and then. An accidental meet-up turned into a habit that only happened once everyone was asleep. But tonight was on purpose a meet-up Cody asked for, needing to talk to someone about Sierra who wouldn’t brush it aside. Who was Al to hurt his troubled friend?

The boys talked for what seemed like hours, never getting too loud to the point of risking waking the people in the loser class up. They started with their team's problems, easing into lighter topics before sharing funny, nostalgic stories between them more dramatic and weird than the last.

“—So then Harold kept trying to show off his mad skills to the audience and then BOOM! His shoe went flying right into the person's drink! Spilling all over the people in the front! ” the short teen exclaimed, flailing his arms in the air. Add to the outrageous story, he began to laugh, with the person surprisingly laughing along with him.

“Cody, mi amigo, please tell me how mad they were?” 

“Oh, they were pissed Al,” they both started to laugh harder, holding their sides trying to steady themselves. The laughing sizzled down to light giggles before silence started to linger. It was comfortable and quiet, unlike the chaotic noise that happened when aired, but the stillness of it lasted longer than any night before. 

Whenever they finished talking, one or the other would have taken their leave before it got uncomfortable, yet something compelled them to stay that night and enjoy just being in each other's presence. 

“Cody, may I ask you something?” “Sure Al! Ask away!” Cody said, watching Al with those bright, blue eyes full of curiosity. He hesitated a few times, trying to find the right words, the appropriate words that would help stop the supposed question from bouncing in his brain. 

How do you ask someone you ACTUALLY care about if they’d be your boyfriend?! 

Alejandro never had to do this because he never cared enough about a relationship to ask that question. Call him an asshole, but it was true, he’s been on dates and had hookups, but that was it. The Latin Heart-throb never felt any strong feelings, he never genuinely felt seen or even enjoyed being with a person like he did Cody. They haven’t even done anything intimate!

“Ay dios mío, this is harder than it needs to be,” He thought, pushing back his hair with his eyes closed, swimmingly releasing some stress that had built up.

“What is Al?” Cody asked but did not get a response, he started to get a little worried about his friend/crush, he had never seen him so out of his element on the show until now. Did Cody do something to make him act like this? Did Al think he was annoying like Gwen and the others did? Questions swirled throughout his mind as he tried to come up with a reason. ‘ The self-proclaimed ladies' man didn’t want to lose the closest person he had this season and ended up stuck with Sierra more than he was forced to, especially after today's episode. Being stuck in a government facility can do that to some people. 

Thoughts ran 50 miles a minute, they came to a halt when Alejandro sighed, finally out of whatever traced state he was in to finally give him a response. 

“ Cody, Mi amigo, we’ve been friends for quite some time and I hope you don’t resent me for this,” Alejandro sucked in a breath mentally preparing himself while he looked into his crush in the eyes.

“Would you like to be my boyfriend?”

Cody stood there, motionless, which alarmed Al, sure if Cody regretted it, Alejandro could play it off, say it was a test of their ‘friendship’ or something.

“Wait, are you serious?” 

“Yes Cody, as serious as Chris and ratings,” He quickly said, easing the tension. “So would you like to be my boyfriend?” 

“Of course! I thought you were going to say how you didn’t want to be friends with me anymore,” the taller boy stood in front of the other, confusion written all over his face. “Why would you think I'd want us to stop being friends?”

“Because I thought you’d find me annoying like most others and stop talking to me and somehow end up with Heather dude! I thought you liked her for the longest time.”

“ To be completely honest, I did have some sort of attraction towards her at the start, but I realized how much our personalities clash and how we both wanted the money. It wouldn't work or last a full year, but she wasn’t able to catch my attention like you did.” 

Cody started to blush, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt while his other hand tapped at his side, it only got worse when the Latin beauty got even closer, inches away.

“Can I?” Al asked. A simple question, but a powerful one at best. Although, the ‘geek’ only stood there confused, 

What was he asking for? Cody felt what could’ve been the tan teen's hand resting off his cheek, his subconsciously leaning into with the other holding his waist. His eyes widened as the realization hit him.

Oh

Oh.

The tooth-gaped teen was slightly shocked from excitement as he wrapped both arms around Alejandro’s neck, his eyes following the other movements before averting back to those bright green eyes of his.

“Please do,”

Their lips seamlessly crashed together, one pair more experienced than the other’s but that didn’t matter at the time all that mattered was them and the passion between them. Cody’s legs wrapped around Alejandro who held onto the crate under him and pushed further, it wasn’t till the other teen broke away from the kiss, “Does that mean I can give you nicknames like couples on TV.”

Al laughed at the boy’s excitement “ Si, what do you have in mind,” 

“Like Dear, Love, Jandro—” he listed off a few others before he felt something pressed against his neck, a hand caressing the skin under his shirt. “ Those are all great Cielito~” Al whispered, pressing kisses along his neck.

 “Jandro, what does that mean…”  Cody asked, holding tighter to the back of the teen.

“ It means Sweetheart,” he then pressed another kiss onto his skin, feeling how the other boy slightly shook and relaxed. Al sat up just enough to look Cody in the eyes before leaning next to ear “Want to hear the other nicknames I have for?” Cody nodded his head, not wanting to risk saying something stupid.

Alejandro then went back to his neck, traveling across his exposed skin listing nicknames and the English translation. Cody’s head fell back while he relished the feeling until the cold air hit his skin. eyes quickly opened “Why did you stop?” he asked or whined in Al's case.

“Because mi amor it’s almost time for the production crew to get ready and as much as I‘d like to spend time with you, I prefer us not getting caught,”  Cody whined but was shut up when his boyfriend gently pressed a kiss to his lips while he held the ‘geeks’ head up.

“Don’t worry mi Cariño while have more than enough time after the filming to do whatever we want,” the amusedLatin beauty said walking out of the cargo hold, leaving a very smitten Cody more flustered who quickly hopped off the crate only for him to hit the ground with a long ‘thunk’.

“Hey! That hurt like hell man, I ended up having a giant bruise on my forehead that I had to use some of Heather's makeup to just cover it up."

" Sorry, Querido All though it was hard to walk away with a straight face after that,” Al calmly said, eating a fork of his salade that arrived a while ago, 

“You wanna know what is hard to walk away from? Your boyfriend tripping over hurdles trying to be a showoff,”  He smiled when he heard a dramatic gasp emerge from a said lover who only crossed both arms.” I can’t believe you would do such a thing! The horror!

“Oh shut it Al you know what you did was funny,” 

“ So when it happens to others it’s funny, but when it's about you it's not?”

“Exactly,”

   the noise from the kitchen and customers bouncing around the walls as they exit the building and give their waiter a tip (respect you waiters). The stars in the sky shining above them light the world around them. Alejandro felt  Cody lean on him from his side, linking their fingers together. It wasn’t till long on the way back to the resort the smaller one started to doze off. 

“Getting tired eh Cody?”

 Cody only clung tighter, causing them to stop in their track, he faced Al, exhaustion written all over. “Mmhmm, carry me…” Al then carefully and easily picks his boyfriend up bridal style before walking again.

Almost missing the three words that simplified how they felt for each other daily.

“ I love you,”

Alejandro sucks in a breath before his mouth formed a small smile. He leaned into his lover's hair and placed a kiss upon it, whispering five words only for Cody.

“Love you too Mi Amor”.

Chapter Text

If someone were to tell Heather she’d be friends with a nerd let alone two of them, she would have laughed in your face or been yelling at them about how they offended her and how such a thing would have ruined her reputation. However, at this point in her life, she wouldn’t be shocked if she somehow became friends with Ezekiel, not that it would ever happen, but still. She couldn’t say she wasn’t glad to have made some friends on the show. Even enjoy Harold's random info-dumping and their petting flights to Cody and her sibling-like banter.

So when Cody and Alejandro said they were together, she wasn’t mad or grossed out, more so disapproved of Cody's choice of men. And yet, they both seem too genuinely adore each other, at least from how Cody looked at him like he did with Gwen in season 1. Alejandro was harder to read, whenever she caught him slipping the other always seemed to hide the fact he did. 

But two days ago, their first day here, something about the way the other teens acted around Cody was too similar to how dimwit Tyler and the Air-head act. It sickened her, always wanting to be near each other, one of them showing off to impress the other.

 The Queen Bee has seen through the eel's tricks and faults kindness since day one. She had seen how quickly he got rid of people that weren't of any use to him. Who’s-to-say that jerk wouldn’t pull the same moves on from Cody, leaving him crying after the Latin heart-throb got bored? She didn’t want the ‘geek’ experience or for her to deal with the depressing aftermath of such heartbreak. And yet, somewhere in the back of her mind, Alejandro's feelings were genuine. 

    As if! The voice in her head said, pushing back the thought of a nice Ale-jerk-oh till forgotten. There’s nothing genuine about that sleazeball.

The sound of metal crashing against the ground had silenced onlookers for a second before the noise returned. She looked up from her magazine to see Gwen and Sierra weirdly looking around the lounge wall, a metal vase on the ground.

“Hey, Weirdos, what the heck there?” They both yelped before facing her, visible panic writing all over their face,

 “Heather! What are you doing?” Gwen said, her voice rising in pitch as she not so subtly looked anywhere but Heather, who alone suspected being the Queen Bee. 

“That's not important. Why are you guys being creepy, hiding around the corner?” She said with narrowed eyes. From an outsider's perspective, it would look like the Queen Bee was just glaring at the two, a technique she learned over the years. However, what was worth her deadly glare was the scene behind the two weirdoes. 

They're lounging in the shade as Cody snuggled in Ale-Jerk-oh’s chest, writing in his stupid songbook, with the Eel resting his chin on top of his head on one of the portable porch swings. It's a calm sight, but a hard one to look at, too cheesy for Heather’s taste. It seemed to only progress when Al said something that made Cody’s face go red. Which chain reaction of them both loudly flirting back and forth?

 Heather just wanted to say something to them or dramatically fake a gag before telling them to get a room. She couldn’t bring herself to do it, but could look away.

Back with the two weirdos, the first thing Heather noticed was the fangirl condition. Sierra looks worse than Gwen's, avoiding eye contact, sweat noticeable enough to drip down her face. “I swear I expected Sierra to spy on Cody; But YOU, Gwen, this must be embarrassing.”

“Buzz off Heather! I’m trying to look out for Cody. You and I both know Al is only playing with his heart, Sierra is here because she can sneak around without getting caught.” 

“Hey! You said we're getting my husband back!”

“No, I said we're gonna make Cody see why Al is no good for him!”

“But you did! I could see it in your eyes!”

“What?!” 

The pair continued to yell back and forth, with Gwen trying to remind the Brazilian girl of the original plan. But from the looks of it, Sierra is still going on about getting her ‘husband’ back. Other contestants watching it all unfold, Heather would have tried to intervene, being the few people able to calm them. Maybe if she hadn’t left them to proceed towards the disturbingly sweet couple. 

“Sup Losers,” 

The sickling sweet quickly separated, Cody nearly falling off the swing trying to sit up, Al unsuccessfully fixing his shirt. “Hiiii Heather! H-how are you doing?” 

“Eh, not that long. Don't worry about it.” 

“What are they arguing about?” “Nothing important. Hey Alejandro, can I talk to you for a second?” drag the heart-throb far out of earshot. Looking back, a familiar sense of pride and glee swells in the young woman. Alejandro glaring at her while looking back at Cody every few seconds. You're supposed to be a good guy, Heather. Don’t do or say something stupid.

“You miss the geek's attention that much?” Fuck.

“Excuse me for worrying about my boyfriend,”

“He's not a kid you know,” “Then tell me, why are you and almost everyone hovering over Cody like he is?!”

“Because we all know what you're capable of!” 

“…”

“... Look Al- Alejandro, I didn’t drag your sorry ass over here to argue. Gwen is trying to find a reason for Cody to break up with you and Sierra is being creepy, but times five. Even though I don’t trust you and think you are a sleazeball—” “Senorita, are you just going to keep insulting me..”

“Don’t. Interrupt me–anyway, despite how I feel about you, it’s oblivious you make Cody happy, happier than I’ve seen him since the island. And that you are putting in the effort to change–so in a way I ‘ support ’ you guys.” seconds went by that felt more like hours. Heather tried to hold it together while staying silent.

“What do I have to do to get your full support?” 

“WHAT?!” she shouted, before pulling Al down to her level. Didn’t what she said not register in her dumb head either?! “God! You and Cody are made for each other if you're both this dumb–I just said I support you guys what next?! You want an apology!” 

“An apology would be nice but back on topic—Heather, even though you support our relationship, you still don’t trust me with Cody. So what will it take for you to trust and support mi Quiero and me?”

“Why does my opinion matter to you so much?”

“Because both you and Cody treat each other like siblings and care about each other like siblings, your approval matters a lot more to him than his parents. So whatever it is I need to do to get your full support, then so be it.”

Her grip loosened, his words rattling in her mind. Alejandro wanted her approval. He wanted her to like him because she was Cody’s friend–family. She devised different ways he could gain her approval, some ideas more dangerous than others. Ugh, if she were part of the Total Drama Challenge producers, she'd get a raise in the spot. The more Heather thought about it, the more she realized something. All the times she thought about the couple, the only thing that came to mind was Al, how Al saw her friend, and how Al would treat him, she never thought or talked to Cody about their relationship other than when she tried to help their first day there.

Bingo

"I figured out how you can get me support, Al, but I need you to distract the weirdos while I get Cody."

"Yes ma'am,"

"Good, meet us in the kitchen after you are done,"

In one smooth motion, they went into action. Heather and Alejandro quickly got Cody out of his stalkers' site, much to the geek's confusion.

"Woah, is something wrong? Please don't tell me you are fighting again."

"Nope mi Amor, but Heather and I noticed Sierra following you again,"

"Really?! Do you think she saw us? I just went shopping and don't want my stuff going missing again," Cody said, frantically tugging on his shirt.

" Don't worry about her, I'm going to distract her—Heather and you are going to hide in the kitchen," Al said, softening his voice, pulling him closer and completely forgetting the other human being. Well, until she pushed him back toward the still-arguing women. “Okay, lover-boy–hurry, so I can get back to tanning.”

With a few non-PG words and the fixing of a shirt, the two watch the heart-throb succeed, a few words and quick speed. Both Gwen and Sierra follow the latter like baby ducks. “C’mon, now our chance.”

It didn’t take them long to get comfortable in the kitchen, sitting on a counter with junk food and drinks calmly, talking amongst themselves, a habit that could trace back to the island. And when a conversation went dry, Heather would shoo him off to ‘preserve’ her reputation most times, like right then. 

 Cody would have gone to look for Alejandro by now if he could. If Heather didn’t start up another or made him wait for a little more. “Hey, Heather, did something happen while you and Al were talking?”

“No, just a little chat between rivals, that’s all.”

“I’m not dumb Heather–your both tense as fuck, you have been more distant since Jandro and I went public. So be honest and tell me what’s going on.”

“Damnit Cody-Why do you fall for him?”

“Why did you have to fall for a bratty rich dude at one of my parents' parties?”

A very dramatic gasp fell from her lip, followed by a quick shove in the side. "Oh MY GOD! Don’t ever bring that up again!” laughter died as quick as a mayfly, noises from the hall and pipes being sources of sound.

“But seriously Cody, why out of everyone here you choose the one person who could hurt you the most? Well, besides Sierra and Duncan.”

Calculated eyes watched the other leg pull into himself a hand tapping away on the counter, rhythm more messy each second. “I don’t know Heather, the more I got to know him outside of the cameras and fame, the more I grew to like him — he should have more respect than anyone here; unlike at the award show. He made sure I was okay with every challenge and when Sierra took it too far. He listens to me and remembers my likes, my dislikes, my boundaries, not to mention his hot,” 

His voice trailed off along with the typing fingers. “We kinda clicked after a bit. Both of us felt the need to hide, so we didn’t disappoint people, and guess that’s what made us closer — why I helped him in the shadows and how he made sure I didn’t get hurt or vote. But what I know is that I trust him.”

Soaking in those words, letting them sink in before they hit her with the speed of a rocket. Nobody, including herself, thought he was capable of much. He was a baby that needed to be protected, even when he had proven that he could hold his own when needed. Guilt built up inside her. ‘ She wasn’t any better, was she…

“Listen, me and almost everybody saw the bad parts of Alejandro and assumed the worst, but that doesn’t excuse us from showing both of you such a lack of respect—Especially you, Cody. If you trust him, then I guess I’ll try to get along with Al-jerk-oh. Just for you, dork, just don’t tell Harold I’m playing favorites.”

Skinny arms found their way around the queen bee as well, with the strength that came with them when the grip tightened. They find their place around the other teens. Almost missing the wobbly thank you, barely audible.

Separating just in time for Alejandro to walk through the doors, sweaty and out of breath. “We have about 30 minutes before Qwen realizes I’m gone and 20 minutes till Sierra realizes—So we better go before either outcome occurs.”

“Welp, there’s a party happening down on Chris's yacht. If we leave now we could catch it,” Hopping off the counter carefully to make little noise when leaving the walls of the kitchen. 

“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go party~!” Cody said ahead of them already.

Neither ex-villain put much effort into catching up to Cody, but more so into each other. With a tap on the shoulder, Alejandro’s attention was on her. Even with a straight face, Heather could see the nervousness, fear, and hope that twisted within his eyes and filled others with similar emotions at any other time.

“You two make a cute couple,” heading back to grab her stuff from outside. The smallest smile appeared as the stress dimmed and relief washed over Alejandro. “Treat him right.”

“Of course senorita.” 

Chapter Text

The sun was low when they arrived, people were already dancing to the music, a game of chicken occupied the pool, and colorful lights were beaming down on it all. 

Crowds on the deck push the teens further inside the yacht. Inside was just lively, if not more.

A good number of contestants were there; Owen was in a soda-drinking contest against some random guy, Geoff, DJ, Duncan, and many other dudes playing beer pong, and a few others seemed to dance with the crowd. 

It didn't take long for the three to blend in; the atmosphere around them washed away the stress and seemingly bad social skills. With a drink in hand and an arm wrapped around Al, Cody felt like a new man! In a week and a half, he has managed to semi-avoid his stalker, survive being on a team full of girls ready to kill each other plus a sexuality crisis, and somehow get and hide a boyfriend. Now here he was with said boyfriend at a yacht party, talking and laughing with another person Cody was still scared of while drinking a hopefully non-alcoholic drink. 

“ And then this little weirdo had to jump in and say, “Sir, I don't think someone like my buddy Heather would date a frat boy in a rich person’s suit.”

“Wait! Really? I didn’t know you had a smart mouth before dating me.

“Well, I did grow up around snobby rich parents, and Heather; what did you expect?” he said, taking a swig of his drink. But not before receiving a playful punch to his free shoulder.

“I wasn’t THAT bad; at least I wasn’t like the girls at Wangs’ parties.”

“Who’s Wang?”

“Some guy from Got7, the one who turned a Met Gala my parents were at into an overzealous house party.”

“Hmm, seems like a party Chris would throw.”

The shorter of the three yelp in shock asHeather suddenly slammed her cup on the bar, causing vibrations throughout it, along with a bit of its liquid to splash on the people around them. “Ugh, can we not bring up that asshole tonight?” She said, swaying as she stood, much to the people around  her displeasure.

“Today we focus on us! And it is a victory for making it to the final three! And for your newfound relationship!” Cup raised loudly and’ proudly above her head; she glanced towards the couple with hazed eyes. 

Leaning up, Cody whispered in Alejandro's ear, “So I don’t think Chris hid the alcohol very well.”

A simple grunt was the heartthrob's response; he reached over, grabbed another solo cup, and chugged half of it as Cody watched a little drip down his chin. Did Al always look good doing anything?

“Why don’t we take advantage of that then, hmm, Cielito?” he said low and sweet, his hand traveling from his waist to his thigh, sending a shiver through Cody’s body.

I guess he can.

His eyes went from admiring the man in front of him to Heather before landing on his cup, dark liquid slightly swaying with the boat and against the wall of its container. Similar to his mind.

On one hand, he knew underage drinking was going to kick him in the ass, not to mention what he could be like under the influence. But the louder side reminds him of all the worse stuff he consumes while on set and the possible trouble they could cause Chris.

“Fuck it, to us!” the three down their drinks just as the music played again. Most people inside continue to dance and vibe with the beat.

“Whoo! This is my shit! See you on the dance floor, love birds!” With that, tipsy Heather disappeared into the sea of mostly drunk people. Both boys are still sitting at the bar watching her leave.

“Cody…” Al said with lidded eyes, watching the ‘geek’ hopped off his lap, the warmth of the other already disappearing. He pulled the other back in , chest to chest, as they looked into each other's eyes. “Would you like to dance?”

Cody’s breath hitched as Al's hand caressed the skin under his Hawaiian shirt, a smug yet seductive smirk plastered on his face. Fortunately was wiping clean off when the candy loving teen pulled him in by the shirt collar into a passionate kiss that ended far too quickly for him.

“It would be my honor AL~ ,” the smaller one said, lips so close the Hispanic could practically feel them. He went for another kiss but nearly tripped as Cody slipped away, closer to the dance floor and further from him.

“And here I thought you wanted to dance,” the purple lights from the deck illuminated Cody as he leaning on the door frame. The glint in his eyes was filled with desire and mischief that pulled Alejandro in, craving for whatever they could give him. 

“You know, teasing like that could be dangerous for someone like you, mi amor,” Al said, clothes feeling a little too tight for his liking. Unlike the new grip he had on Cody’s hip.

“Let’s hope that teasing leads us back to the hotel then.” 

With one quick kiss, both walked towards the crowd, with hands lower than possibly attended.

“Where the hell is Duncan?!” Gwen exclaimed, leaning against the rail. 

About 2 hours later, she and Duncan arrived at the party, courtesy of Geoff. She didn’t want to be there. Too many people and loud noises; unfortunately, almost everyone from the hotel was there and she wouldn’t be able to convince others to stay back with her.  

But staying there alone would've beat having her boyfriend ditched her. The first time  he ditch her, she was able to find him; talking and joking with a few people. But now, here she was waiting for him to finish his game of beer pong with Geoff and DJ. 

The cold breeze from the water and bright lights irritated Gwen; though she wasn’t willing to go inside yet. If anything, it could be worse. Being pushed and shoved between drunk strangers in a stuffy, hot room was not her idea of fun.

Suddenly the music grew louder, along with the crowd that increased in numbers. The boat lightly rocked as people danced, some poorly singing along with the songs. The space around Gwen got smaller, the strong scent of alcohol and sweat driving her over the edge.

Screw Duncan, I’m out of here! The goth made her way through the sea of people, ignoring the curses and insults thrown her way.

She could see the exits, the trees, and the sandy shore of the mainland just a few steps away; where she could hide away in the lounge and draw in a sketchbook in peace.

Suddenly someone crashed into her, the weight alone nearly knocking her to the floor, but fortunately for her, someone grabbed her before hitting the floor.

“Jeez! Are you good? Nearly got run over,” the person said, a bit muffled by the loudspeakers and people.

“I’m fine, just have to get off this boat…” she said, voice trailing off after adjusting to the light. The first thing that caught her eye was the familiar Hawaiian shirt. Once she looked up, the goth pushed herself away from them. Teal and black eyes might.

“CODY/GWEN!”

Gwen, now having more awareness, noticed a few things; like the fact his shirt was open and his hair was a mess but somehow had sunglasses (that he does not own) perfectly positioned in it. But some she wished didn’t notice were the bruises and marks around his chest and neck. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you would've stayed at the hotel.”

“Kinda wished I did…”

The two just stood there in awkward silence, stuffing out the surrounding party. Any other time Cody would be eager to talk to Gwen, while Gwen just shove him off with a sarcastic comment or two.

“Well~, I’m going to get another drink from the bar. You can join me if you want,” Cody said. Something seemed to go off in his mind in a matter of seconds before he rambled. “I mean you don’t have to, but it would be cool if you wanted to!-”  

Gwen smiled, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. "Chill, Cody, let’s go before all the good drinks are gone. ”

“Okay, cool, cool~” He shot her finger guns. 

Gwen scoffed, “Come on, you dork.” She said, a smile never leaving her face. 

Same old Cody. She didn’t know why she was awkward around him. If anything, nothing changed (besides them both dating concerning people). It still was the geeky, annoying but friendly Cody.

 Besides, Gwen was a strong woman. She could handle the drama of reality TV, she could handle one interaction.

Qwen could not handle one interaction. Because right now, here they were, at the bar, surrounded by barely conscious strangers. At this point in her life, she wouldn’t be surprised if Serria popped up. 

“So~ How have you been? Ya know, since getting off the plane,” Cody said, focus on the paint peeling from the bar top. 

“You meant eliminated? I really haven’t done anything–most places are too busy or bright for me.”

“Huh, thought you’d say drawing. I mean, there’s a lot of pretty cool stuff to draw around here,”

“Wow, I didn't think you had an eye for art.” the goth took a swig of her cup, and a laugh fell from the brown hair teen’s mouth.

“If I’m going to travel the world for mere participation, then I could at least enjoy the scenery.” 

Gwen only gave a light nod as she turned to her cup. The muffled sounds of music and people kept them occupied. For a bit, her eyes wondered: On her left, people littered  all over the couch, empty bottles, along with accessories and clothes, littered the floor. On her right, nothing was different except the fidgeting Cody was doing. Specifically,  the way he fidgeted with an all too familiar necklace hanging from his neck. 

“Seems like you enjoyed little more than the scenery…” she mumbled to herself, but seemed Cody heard it, as the sound of coughing and glass hitting the table was evident. 

“What!? I-well– the food and attractions are nice, you know…” the voice trailed, eyes darting everywhere beside hers’.

This would be the third time a conversation fell short. It was starting to get on her nerves, more so the little reminders of Al litared all over Cody and why she was here. Let’s get this over with.

“Cody, I need to know something,” the effects of her drink, 

“Uhm, ok..?”

A stiff pause happened before she moved her lips, hesitating with the words coming out. “Can you explain why out of everyone you chose to date Al, I mean, if you didn’t know what the guy was like beforehand, but… you do understand he isn’t a good person right?”

“Listen, I know he doesn’t seem like a good person, but you have to get to know him first—,” he continued, words almost coming off more confident and true. 

But events, memories of her friends being tricked and used by Al muffled those confident words. All the pain and drama caused just for the sake of the game. No, Al that Cody knew couldn’t be real, there was no real good in him no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

“ —But I don’t understand why you're so worried, I mean Duncan isn’t any better.”

 “Wait, What?”

“I mean, Duncan wasn’t really a good person when touring, not to mention the Greece pieces breakup…”

“Okay! How about we stop talking about world tours! How about we talk about why you invited me to drink, hmm?” Gwen said, she didn't need to feel guilty for she couldn't really control.

“Well, remember how I was during our first season of total drama…” he shrunk away, looking the opposite way.

“Yeah, don't see why bring it up, it's in the past,”

“I know, but I can't help but feel guilty for being weird back then.” no longer fettling with a necklace or cup, no longer in a weird position, The artist watched him visibly panic as he continued. “It's just, watching it back on TV, how I acted was not anyway appropriate or something a normal person should go about. And after being stuck with Sierra,I felt worse for you—” 

“Cody breath,”

“Right, look what I'm trying to say is— I'm sorry. For how I treated you back then and before u know…everything this season…”

“You're sorry?”

“Yeah, but you don't have to forgive me right away, I know if Sierra ever tries to apologize to me, I wouldn't forgive her at all.” A dry laugh fell from his lips while his hand fell over his eyes, “I just wanted you to know I’m sorry for shitty behavior back then and hopefully we can start off better.” 

Seconds that felt like hours, went by once the words left his lips. The muffled sound on the outside world was  not enough to drown-out the thoughts running around the man’s mind. 

Why would she forgive me now? I already ruined everything. She’s going to leave isn’t she? Her cup is empty. Is she going to tell Sier– a gentle pressure fell on his shoulder, enough pressure to remind him to breathe. Gwen, out of all the times he has seen her, never seen more relaxed nor genuinely amused as she did right now. Hope for a second chance became a reality when few words fell from the inspiring artist's mouth.

“ Well, me and my friends don’t just sit down, drinking our life away,” Gwen stated, the sloshing of her drink being her main focus. Hope for a second chance began to fade when few words fell from the inspiring artist's mouth, Well, before facing back to Cody  “wanna go judge drunk people dancing?”

For what felt like the hundredth time, they both waited in their own little bubble, it wasn’t till something in Cody finally realized to kick in and knock him back to reality.

“Heck yeah! Bet you five dollars someone tries to do a backflip and fails.”

“ heh, ok,” “well I bet you ten dollars a fight well break out between some guys,”

“Deal?” Stinking his hand out for a hand shake, slightly recoiling when Gwen’s met him.

“Deal.”

In the matter of a hour and 30 minutes, there has be two attempts of jumping off the top of the yacht by two blonde dude, four different accounts of people throwing up on their dance partner, one video of people suffering( R.I.P Noah), and zero accounts of a fight or faceplants on deck. 

And in all those occurrences, Gwen could admit, she was having fun. The most fun she had since Total Drama Action. And here she was, just laughing at a stupid joke Cody made. Was only able to stop when air was struggling to reach her lungs.

“Shit are you okay?”

“ Yeah just *Cough* Let me catch my breath,” Gwen said, her arm hung over the rail, the gentle pats on the back aiding her.

“Dang I don’t think I've seen you laugh that hard since, ever!” 

“You and me both then,” she said, getting another light laugh out of them both. Only when she could finally comprehend the rampling coming from Cody’s mouth did a length of her word hit her.

How long has it been since I was this happy? “Hey, Cody–”

“So that's where you went, Cody.”

“Alejandro!” The two shouted, both to different degrees of emotion as they stared at the young man himself.  Unlike his usual kept hair, loose strands fell there comfinds, the weird shirt dishevel, the lack of Bracelets and other accessories didn’t fit him at all to Gwen. Yet the way Cody seems to stop working said other ways.

“I thought you’d got dragged away by Izzy, seems she is recruiting people to start a drinking game,”He stated, slipping his arm around the other automatically, similar to Bridgette and Geoff, to Taylor and Lindsay, all too similar to happy couples.

 “I am a bit concerned about what types of drinks she’ll try to give out.” The last statement seems to easily get a small laugh from her friend. If it weren’t for it being Alejandro Gwen would have thought it was cute. 

“Glad I was distracted, Gwen and I were just hanging out over here, you know, away from the chaos.” Cody said, naturally leaning into him. Just like how Gwen naturally her grip tighten og the rail.

“Good thing Cody was here with me,” She said, glare pin-point on the eel as place a hand on Cody’s shoulder, “someone he can trust.” 

The stupid little smile that once graced his face went as quickly as it came, the irradiated glare Al sent her gave her a weird satisfaction.

“Wow, would you look at that! It’s getting really late, we should get going,” Cody interrupted, it was clear as day tension was starting to grow, along with what the tooth-gapped teen was trying to do. It wasn’t going to stop Gwen from pushing; maybe it was the alcohol or the bubbly anger she felt for Al ever since their trip to Greece, but she pushed hard enough then the truth will come out.

“It seems you're right, maybe Gwen, you should go find your own boyfriend, I bet he's so worried about you,” Gwen practically could see the sarcasm fall off his tongue. Could feel the mounting frustration thrown on her when he brought her relationship up. 

“Al knock if off, let just—”

“At Least my boyfriend isn’t trying to gain something from dating me.” She stated, she watched as Alejandro’s face switched between so many different emotions it was comical, she half expected him to convert back to his old ways, like she wanted. She didn’t think Cody would be in the eels place,“Really! You too Gwen?!”

“Yes Really! Come on Cody, you can’t tell me you don’t see that his using you?”

“Using me for what exactly? The shows over, there’s nothing to gain from him dating me,” Cody stated, with an attitude unknown to Gwen. And true Alejandro hasn’t done anything yet; however, thats why he couldn’t be trusted, always keeping too many things a secret for people to actually figure out. 

“Look, I don’t know what exactly, but he’s up to no good, he's a snake!”

“Don’t call my boyfriend a snake! And for you information Gwen ‘I Don’t Know’ is not a great answer.” He dragged a hand through his hair before talking again. Like he had the same conversation before 

“Its not even just about that!  Not only did you decided to date the shows biggest B*tch, but expect us to be fine with it!”

“Who’s we ?! When did I need to check in to see who I could go out with?! I’m pretty sure Courtney didn’t have a say when you and Duncan were making out in the confessional!”

“That was different and you know it!”

“HOW?! Explain how my consensual relationship is so much worse then yours!?”

“BECAUSE I ACTUALLY LIKEABLE!”she quickly covered her mouth, All three taken back by her words. She wasn’t supposed to hurt Cody, she wasn’t supposed to hurt anyone(beside Al). She went to speak, trying to mend what could intentionally be broken.

“GWEN! GWEN! I FIGURED IT OUT!I HAVE A PLAN!” 

Oh God, no! Not her

The music died down long ago, but  as the wheel-bound girl came rolling through it only now became prevalent. Gwen turned back to Cody who still seemed to be in a state of shock, only difference now Alejandro was blocking him from Sierra’s line of sight

“ Sierra, now is not the time—”

“But Gwen! Look I figured if we could get them to go on a fake date, then we’ll take a picture of–”

“YOUR TRYING TO BREAK ME AND AL UP?!” the uncharacteristic shout seemed to finally stop her rambling.

“Uuhh, oops.”

“Cody why don’t we just calm down and-”

“Calm Down?! CALM DOWN!? I just found out my friend and stalker were planning to ruin my relationship! How do you think I could calm down after that?!”

“It’s not like that! it’s just Alejandro going to use you and—”

“Here we go again! Jeez… how come the one time I start to date someone, Everyone’s like ‘he couldn’t date someone like him’ ‘oh, Al too evil to like Cody, Cody’s too dumb to figure it out—”

“Cody–”

“SHUT UP! it's clear you have a problem with my relationship!” Even though his  voice became more clear, the pain that seeped out only made it harder to bear. “ I shouldn’t have to get anyones approval for something so personal, I shouldn’t have to worry about someone breaking into my room! I shouldn’t go through so much to be happy! Why can’t I just be happy?!” 

The adrenalin that aroused from with in him finally died down, along with the lack of awareness that came with it. A crowd formed, most strangers who probably will only remember him for his outburst, furthermore; dread only set in when he notices how many contestants actually showed up.

How many cameras were pointing at him.

In mere seconds Cody was off the boat, ignoring the calling of his name that soon became quiet,  he ran and ran till the hotel came into view. Scenery in his hotel room before the comfort of his shared bed was all Cody felt, along with the tears that traveled down his face. 

Cody didn’t know how long he'd been in there, Just that the mass amount of text messages died down when noises in the hallway started to form. 

The door to the room slowly opened, he tightened the blanket around himself till the silhouette as Alejandro walked came into his line of sight. He must have look like a mess if Al’s face told him anything. “Cody…”

“I-Can we just not talk right now? Please…”

His boyfriend only looked at him with sympathy, sitting right next to him; close enough to comfort him and far enough to not overwhelm him.

Silence filled the room, before Al stretched his arms for Cody. like Clockwork, Cody found the welcome warmth of Alejandro, the blanket and the tears that seem to not dry.