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Noah sighed. It had been 2 hours of walking around in the extreme heat; His legs felt like they were going to give out. Noah was stubborn to admit it, but he was lost. He didn’t leave marks in case the hunters were following, but now there is nothing he wants more than to go back in time and punch his 4-hour-ago self. Everything looks the same. In fact, he's pretty sure he walked by that tree 20 minutes ago (give or take). If he could just find the river, he’d be able to make it back before the game was over. However, no water could be seen. He was losing the little hope he had left, and that's when he heard it.
No. Not the river. That would have been too easy, and life was never on his side. It was the sound of broken twigs. Something was coming.
Should he run? No, that was out of the question; Noah can barely walk to school on a good day. He doesn't have the best stamina. Hell, he doesn't really have any stamina at all. Maybe hide? Though he is still unsure it is a member of the other team.
He was in the middle of contemplating whether he should dive into the nearest bush when a familiar voice rang out.
"Ah, Noah, I am so lucky to have found you." Anyone but him. Please. Alejandro made his way towards him, one of his synthetic smiles plastered on his face. This sucks; He would have preferred a member of the Killer Bass to put him out of his misery.
"And it seems mine must have run out." Can you blame him for not trusting the guy? Alejandro is sketchy, and Noah is sure the guy got Tyler out in the Dodgeball challenge. Not to mention countless other suspicious eliminations. "What do you want from me now?"
Alejandro simply sighed. "Why do you dislike me so much? I haven't done anything to you." He looks at Noah sympathetically.
No.
He can't trust Alejandro- he won't. He'll end up like the others; cheated out of the money. "Not yet. Look, cut the act. It's just us here." He's forcing himself not to make eye contact, settling for a clump of weeds on the ground to focus his attention on.
How he wishes Alejandro would stop pretending. He can't say he hasn't thought about it- working together. They could easily win the competition, being the smartest on the show, and combined with Alejandro's annoyingly good social skills. Maybe they could have even been friends; Or not. After all, who is Alejandro without his mask?
Alejandro proceeds to speak, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. "You can be frustrating sometimes, you know that?" Noah can't help it. After all, how else is he supposed to respond to Alejandro?
One of Noah's greatest aspects is his mind. He's smart and prides himself in being able to read people. Ironically. It can also be his downfall. He doesn't want to be alone with his thoughts. He's afraid of what he'll find out.
"Better than a liar."
They were not on the best of terms, not since the phobia factor. "Do you even know where you're going? You look a little lost." Alejandro remarks, Leaning back on the bark of a great oak tree.
"Yes. Away from you. I don't want to have to spend another second in your proximity"
To his remorse, the male starts to walk towards him, until there is only an inch between them. "Why? Is it because deep down.." Noah's eyes flicker up, breathing started to become harder and harder. His heartbeat was pounding in his chest and Alejandro's breath on his neck was not making things any easier.
Stop it.
"You don't know anything about me." Noah scowled, pushing Alejandro away. Again.
He needs to leave. Now, preferably. He turned around; readying himself for a response, but none came.
And then there was silence. It was overwhelming; how could something so quiet be this deafening?
Did he leave?
Why do I care?
Noah doesn't know what's wrong with him. He hates how Alejandro can make him question himself so easily, how he seems to know exactly what Noah is thinking. And, like Orpheus to Eurydice, he can't help himself from inevitably looking back.
He was still there.
However, the sudden movement resulted in something far worse than anything Noah could ever imagine.
———
"So, I didn’t plan for this to happen. I'm not psychic, okay? I was alone in the woods with Alejandro. Of course, he was going to do something. I was a little distracted. There is absolutely nothing going on. I'm not influenced a bit by his perfectly sculpted face…" Shit. That doesn’t sound entirely straight. He looks to the side sheepishly.
"I didn't mean that. It was objective; purely objective. No secret feelings or anything. Ha.. I'm not attracted to eels. Are you kidding me? Not in a million years. Oh, stop laughing. You're acting like a- I'm saying too much. Aren't I?'' He glances at the camera, contemplating whether he should do something, but he settles on saving his energy. Chris probably records all the footage in real-time.
———
They were stuck, to put it lightly, thanks to these stupid antlers he got roped into wearing.
"Are you serious?" Noah groaned. This obliterated the list of things that could go horribly wrong today. Or any day, for that matter.
Alejandro's cheeks darkened, and he was staring directly into Noah's eyes. How was he supposed to look away?
"Mios Dio, amor. If you wanted to get close to me you could have just said.." Noah felt uneasy in his stomach. From disgust, obviously.
"Don't call me that." How Alejandro could say such things with a straight face- actually it was more of a smirk- Noah had no clue. "This is ridiculous. I’m taking this stupid costume off"
He reaches up at the prop, but then something unexpectedly warm curls around his hands. Alejandro. Noah swears he can feel electricity dancing through his veins.
"For someone with more brains than muscles, you sure can be stupid sometimes. How is Chris going to feel about that?"
"I'm not stupid, it's called making mistakes, but you make a good point." He feels the warmth slip away, and almost does something he would regret. His self-control is falling apart. Noah shouldn't even need to control himself, he feels nothing but hatred towards Alejandro. That's all it is, and all it will ever be. "And if you're so certain about everything, what do you suggest we do, hm?"
Alejandro pointed vaguely upwards, Noah couldn't see where though, as his head movement was limited. "Simple. Untangle ourselves."
—------
Noah kept shuffling, it was an uncomfortable position to stay in, and Alejandro clearly wasn't making any progress if the Spanish muttering was anything to go by. "Can you hurry up already? My back hurts."
"Can you stay still for one moment? Maybe then I could get something done." Oops. Alejandro glares at him, "Do you have anything to contribute? At all?
Noah thought about it, then realised he could kill two birds with one stone. "How about we find the river? We could use the reflection." Perfect. Then he could get back to camp, and Alejandro wouldn't get the satisfaction of knowing he inadvertently helped him.
"Hmm, clever as always." He gestures at his head, emphasising his point.
Noah scoffed at that. "You called me stupid 10 minutes ago."
"Details, details." Alejandro gave a smile; a real one. Noah decides he prefers the old one, as he is unsure how to react to the sudden change.
Speaking of, Noah notices a difference in Alejandro's expression. "Do you see that?"
"Do I look like I do?" Noah can barely see anything from being so close to Alejandro.
"It's the river, surely you must be able to hear it." And he does, the faint trickle of water can be heard from behind him. Unable to think about anything but his relief of finding a way back to camp, he forgets about his current situation with Alejandro.
With a sharp turn, he ends up dragging them both down. One hand wrapped around something that feels suspiciously like Alejandro's shirt.
Then Noah feels the pressure on his lips. It's warm, inviting. Soft. He wishes he never discovered the cause of it.
He's kissing Alejandro.
Noah should stop; Everything in his body is telling him to run away- but when Alejandro starts to reciprocate, he can't find it in himself to do so. There was something so intoxicating about Alejandro's gaze; he felt as though he could melt on the spot.
They stay like that for a while. Mouths moving in a slow rhythm, occasionally picking up a pace, until Alejandro pulls away, finally breaking the silence. "Congratulations, Amor."
Bringing himself upright, Noah knows the meaning of his words when he realises they are no longer bound by their antlers.
They also just kissed. On live TV. His family watch this show! Noah's going to get harassed by his sisters for years to come.
He can feel the blood rush to his cheeks and a shiver up his neck. What were they supposed to do now? Alejandro was gazing into his eyes, lips slightly swollen.
He looked beautiful.
But the moment was soon ruined by the stink of Owen creeping through the forest, and then the boy himself. At first, he tried to shoot at them, but after realising he was only supposed to go after the other team, he halted fire. Noah and Alejandro gave each other a quick glance before they started to laugh.
Maybe Alejandro wasn't so bad after all
———
"I fell. That was all. " A chuckle comes from his side.
"That's it? I remember a different set of events."
"... Shut up Alejandro."
———