Duncan's POV
We made our way to the campfire and waited our turn to cast our vote. I didn't really have to think about my choice. Ezekiel said some pretty messed up stuff, and everyone wanted to vote him anyway, so no harm in following along.
"Alrighty campers!" Chris announced. "With me, I have 11 marshmallows. Each of you will get one unless you've been voted out. When that unlucky person is announced, they will have to walk the Dock of Shame and ride the boat to Loser Town. Once gone, you can never, ever come back! Understood?" We all nodded and anxiously waited for our names to be called. Eventually, I got a marshmallow and watched (Y/n) get one soon after. It came down to Courtney and Ezekiel. I bet you could guess how that went.
"Ezekiel! You have been the first person voted out of Total Drama: Island! Proceed to the Dock!" Chris exclaimed.
"Man, you have so much to learn about the real world," I reminded him before he started his hike. We all gathered around to say goodbye.
***
"Hey, you okay? You got pretty heated when Ezekiel started sharing his opinions," I asked (Y/n) while on the walk back to the cabins.
"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking. Thanks for voting him out, too. I know you try to put on this tough persona, but that was really sweet of you," they responded. I admit, I felt the singular butterfly in my stomach flutter just a tiny bit.
"Eh, it was nothing. You're just lucky I didn't have time to put my hands on him! The kid would've been folded in half!" I joke with them. They let out a small laugh and I know my joke has landed, even if it was mostly a threat.
"I'm starting to think I was wrong about you," they admit. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you definitely still scare me at times, but I can see deep down you're really a good dude." I make a face at their words and go to open my mouth before I'm cut off. "Before you even try to retaliate, don't worry, I won't tell anyone my revelation."
"No, no. I wasn't going to correct you. I was going to thank you, kind of. I mean, what you said was super nice, don't get me wrong, I guess I just, I don't know, don't really know how to thank people? I grew up in a bad area, as you can tell, so gratitude isn't something I'm used to," I confessed. I really did appreciate everything they said to me, even if I couldn't properly show it.
"Hey, that explanation is enough. I'll see you tomorrow for our next challenge, Duncan," they say as we reach our cabin and I find myself wishing there wasn't a wall that would soon separate us.
"Yeah. Goodnight, (Y/n)," I say as they walk into their side. Man, what is up with me today? Since when do I get so vulnerable? I must be tired. Surely a good night's sleep will fix this.
Little did I know that the tired I felt in that moment was NOTHING compared to what we all were about to go through.