Work Text:
Alejandro considered himself to be perceptive. Naturally gifted with the ability to see past the exterior of others, seeking out the truth within them. Figuring out the type of person someone is before they have a chance to blindside him, take advantage of him.
He auditioned for Total Drama Island due to a dare from his older brother, claiming Alejandro wouldn’t have the guts to go onto such a trashy-looking reality show. The playful teasing had lasted only a week before Alejandro cracked, making a shitty audition tape to send in, presenting himself as a snarky know-it-all.
Remarkably, he was accepted onto the show, marketed to the world as “The Schemer.”
His family was over the moon for him, telling Alejandro how nice it would be to get out of the house, how it would be the perfect place to showcase his abilities to others. How maybe, he’d be able to make a friend or two. After an early elimination in season one and being forced to participate in “The Aftermath” in the following season, Alejandro had a good idea of who each competitor was.
Yet somehow, his family had been partially correct in their hopes for him. As after two and a half seasons, he had found one idiot, who he had claimed as his best friend.
“Al, dude! Are you with me?!”
Alejandro flinched at the sudden voice by his ear, shaking his head a few times as he remembered where he was.
Total Drama season three, the “World Tour.” Currently doing a ridiculous murderer-themed challenge in the middle of London, England.
“Yes, Tyler. I am still with you,” Alejandro sighed in response, offering a small smile to his tracksuit-wearing companion. The jock nodded, a grin of his own appearing as he turned toward their other present teammate.
“Owen! He’s fine! Strap me down, bro!”
Alejandro watched in annoyance at his friend’s predicament as Tyler hopped up onto a makeshift torture rack, laying himself down on the stiff board. He squirmed a bit as Owen reached for his wrists, quietly reassuring the nervous boy that it would be alright.
Owen, the overweight blonde buffoon who currently made up one-fourth of Alejandro’s team, dubbed “Team Chris is really really really really hot.” He certainly wasn’t a fan of their chosen name.
The oaf himself wasn’t terrible to be around, although a bit gross at times, and Tyler seemed to get along smashingly with him. They were both obnoxiously peppy, and collectively shared half a brain cell. Maybe a full one on a good day.
As Owen strapped down Tyler fully onto the rack, Alejandro pressed himself to the wall near them to observe. He rolled his eyes and shushed his friend when he cried out, seeing as Owen hadn’t even begun the machine yet.
“Sorry- my bad! I’m good bro, I’ll be quiet,” Tyler mumbled out after a moment of resituating himself, and Owen nodded lightly, a concerned look on his face.
Keeping good on his word, Tyler reduced his previous dramatic screaming to simply pathetic-sounding whimpers, apologies spouting from Owen as he continued turning the machine. It was part of the challenge, after all.
Alejandro couldn’t help himself as a fond expression made its way to his face, even as he was witnessing his best friend basically get tortured. No, that wasn’t what he was happy about.
He was happy neither of the boys in front of him seemed to be enjoying the challenge. There was no malicious intent in the pair, not one time that Alejandro had seen over the three seasons of this god-forsaken show.
Tyler and Owen had always remained kind, although a bit stupid. Genuine compassion took permanent residence in each of their hearts, and it was something Alejandro deeply admired. They were good people. He was proud to call them his teammates, his friends.
After a few excruciating minutes, the second clue of their challenge was opened through a slot resting just above the wooden machine. Owen jumped to grab the slip of paper as Alejandro raced to unlock Tyler from the handcuffs pinning him uncomfortably.
“Thanks, man,” Tyler grinned as he sat up, stretching his arms up in the air. A minor wince took hold of his face, and Alejandro offered a hand to help him stand as Owen read their clue aloud.
“If your teammate can still use his feet, bring him down for something to eat!”
Ignoring the way the food lover began to salivate at the word “eat,” Alejandro scrunched his nose in thought. Tyler did the same as he stood, releasing Alejandro’s hand to step away and tap a finger to his chin.
Where would you eat in a place like this?
The answer came to Alejandro quickly, smiling at his teammates as he grabbed the door, holding it open for both of them.
“The dining hall, of course,” He remarked upon seeing the boys' matching confused head tilts, and they lit up with understanding.
“Of course! Awesome thinking, Al!” Tyler beamed, patting his friend's shoulder as he blasted out of the room and down the hall, Owen giggling as he and Alejandro followed close behind.
“Man, our team is so unbeatable! With your and Noah’s brains, imagine how fast we could’ve gotten through here with you both here!” Owen panted out as the team raced through the massive building they were in, searching for a dining hall of sorts.
Alejandro frowned at the mention of their fourth teammate, having been blissfully free of the short brainiac for the last hour or so, as he had somehow managed to get himself "capture" before their challenge of the day had even begun. Owen seemed to take notice of the shift in atmosphere, as he squinted in question at Alejandro’s expression.
Noah, one of the two newcomers for the season. It was strange, but not unthinkable for Chris McLean to introduce new players. People were likely getting sick of the same ol’ teenagers at each other's throats, and throwing new people into the mix blindly could be helpful for ratings.
There was Sierra, brought along for the obvious factor of being a “superfan” of the show. She was downright creepy in Alejandro’s opinion, and weirdly possessive of Cody for only having met the boy a few weeks prior. He was grateful when the girl was swapped to Team Amazon. After all, Izzy, the girl who took her spot on Team Chris, may be crazy, but at least she’s fun.
Then there was Noah. A smaller boy in stature, and attractive confidence dripping from his every word, every move. His entrance had been a spectacle, the way he removed his sunglasses to place upon his head was a picture to rival to Heather’s own introduction in season one.
He had smile at everyone and paused on the stairs of the bus, allowing Chris to announce him to the crowd, “He’s an honor roll student with an IQ of one hundred and eighty,” the devious-looking host had said, rubbing his hands together as Noah was welcomed with kind greetings.
Alejandro had almost allowed himself to be excited when they were placed on the same team, an undoubtedly intriguing shine of intelligence in the other boy's eyes making Alejandro think maybe, just maybe, he could make another friend.
He had been a good leader, the kind who stood back and barked orders, yet somehow flawlessly took all the credit for their successes. Alejandro hadn't minded, more than happy to allow someone to direct him around.
But he couldn't ignore the way players fell so suspiciously from the game.
“Noah,” Alejandro grumbled aloud, once again forgetting where he was, and paying the immediate price for it. He slammed into Owen as the bigger boy came to a stop in his running, having come upon the room they were hunting for. Owen helped steady Alejandro quickly, before frowning down at him.
“Yeah? What about him? You went supperrr quiet for a minute! It was kinda creepy,” He gasped as he attempted to catch his breath, slowly trudging into the dining room behind Tyler as Alejandro rubbed his head.
Maybe it was the sudden collision that messed with his thinking, or maybe it was just the image of that annoying boy in his mind, but Alejandro could no longer fight the words he’d been holding back, as they had been slowly building, begging to come crumbling down as he reached his limit.
“Noah. I don’t trust him, he’s- he’s like a fox.” Alejandro admitted with a massive eye roll, feeling a sense of relief with being able to openly speak his mind. Owen's frown deepened, and Tyler turned to face them.
“Like, as in foxy?” Tyler then gasped, pressing his hands to his face in genuine-looking shock as Alejandro sent a deadpan expression toward him.
“Oh- oh, I’d agree with that! Noah's smart, and he’s hot!” Owen grinned from where he stood, nodding his head along as if to agree with his own statement. Tyler’s expression fell at this, and unnecessary defenses of “liking girls” began to tumble from him.
“No!” Alejandro yells to shut them both up, relaxing slightly when they do. “No, fox, as in cunning. Sly,” He explained, crossing his arms.
Tyler and Owen exchanged what Alejandro gauged as uncertain glances with each other, Owen raising an eyebrow at Alejandro soon after.
“I- I don’t know about that, Al. He’s just a great competitor! Teammate!” Owen scuffed at the ground with the toe of his sneaker, and a kind expression grew over Tyler’s face, drowning out his suspicion.
“Hey, I believe you! You’ve always been so good at figuring out bad people, like Heather in season one! Even when you were voted off, you knew she was a snake, though she fooled everyone else!”
Alejandro turned to Tyler slowly, immediate love for the other boy filling him. He smiled, nodding his head quietly as thanks, listening as Owen laughed nervously.
“Guys, we really shouldn’t even be talking about Noah behind his back like this. Let’s look for the next clue!” Owen turned to further enter the dining room, which seemed to be covered in incredibly tacky, cheap-looking decorations.
Tyler clapped Alejandro on his shoulder, sending one more smile before jogging off to search as well, Alejandro taking a deep breath before returning himself to the challenge at hand.
Discounting the fact that Alejandro had to save his best friend from a glass box in a bus, in which “Jack the Ripper” had trapped him inside, the remainder of the challenge had gone over fairly well. With the combination of Owen and Alejandro’s strength, they were able to easily overtake the skinny-looking actor chasing them. The trio returned to the plane sweaty and tired, but overall accomplished.
“Welcome back, boys!” Chris called as Alejandro dropped their bag containing The Ripper onto the floor in front of said host. Grinning, Chris’ eyes slid to where Owen gasped out happily.
“Guys- Noah! You’re all okay!” He cried out happily, and Alejandro allowed his gaze to travel behind where Chris was standing, to where the missing players from the challenge had, apparently, been residing after their capture from the game.
Cody stood with a grimace plastered over his face, as Sierra was practically bonded into his side, and an annoyed-looking Heather waited close by. But they weren’t who sent a sudden bolt of fear slicing through Alejandro.
It was Noah, who was glaring not daggers- but spears at the proclaimed schemer.
“Oh. You were watching,” He figured quickly, eyes flashing to the large TV screens set up in the room. Noah tapped his foot on the ground, sneering at his teammate.
“Everything,” He confirmed, his tone dropping almost an octave lower than it normally was. Alejandro felt a panicked grin spread on his face, instinctively reaching a hand up to tug at the collar of his sweater, a nervous habit he couldn't seem to break.
“Ah, well, shit,” Is all Alejandro could muster out, any excuses he may be able to conjure vanishing with his smile the moment he heard angry boots stomping toward him.
He expected a berating of some kind, a wonderful reveal of the brainiac’s true nature. He could almost feel relieved at that, in the end, Noah’s indecency would be revealed to the world.
Instead, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and Alejandro’s eyes flew to meet dark brown ones.
“Oh, don’t worry. I get it, you’re perceptive. It’s cute,” Noah sighed with a patronizing appearing smile, squeezing Alejandro’s shoulder threateningly before pulling his arm away entirely.
“You did well, without my help. Beautiful job, really,” He smiled as he turned to face his team, sarcasm echoing through this praise. Noah relished in the way Alejandro’s face fell into confusion, paired lovingly with utter irritation.
“Thank you! That was a compliment right?” Owen asked with a furrowed brow, glancing to Tyler who stood beside him, and offering nothing but a shrug as a response.
“Yes, it was a compliment.” Noah huffed out, moving to take his usual place beside Owen, a bit back smirk hiding on his face as Alejandro glared at him.
He almost had me fooled.
Noah, who was too smart for anyone on the plane's well-being. Alejandro knew he had a hand in somehow ridding the competition of almost an entire team. One by one, Noah found weaknesses and took down his victims. Slowly, methodically.
Alejandro had seen Noah talking to LeShawna in Germany just before the girl had jumped Heather, resulting in a knocked-out tooth for the ravenette. Alejandro had seen Noah’s grin as he returned to his team’s side, watching the beat down.
He had watched the way DJ flew off his long-board board in the, admittedly crummy, bobsled race the teenagers were forced to compete in when in Jamaica. Alejandro swore some of the track was broken, just after Noah had ridden down the obstacle with Owen.
Alejandro had seen. Alejandro had known for longer than he’d like to admit, that the brilliant leader they had was nothing more than a cunning fox.
When Courtney and Gwen made their entrance, Alejandro was confused at the body shape of their bag. He had caught the villain they were after, so what poor soul did the opposing team have in their sack?
“Duncan?!” He gasped out with the other contestants, even louder than he had with Ezekiel. Everyone knew to some degree he had never left, little jokes thrown in on occasion of the feral boy's presence.
“Chris did say he wanted a criminal,” Gwen chimed in after everyone had their moment of surprise, sheepishly rubbing her neck as Courtney placed her hands on her hips.
“And we caught exactly that!” The freckled girl finished, tilting her chin up slightly as she smiled. Chris nodded in agreement, and Alejandro felt his heart drop.
“That’s true! Team I am so super hot, good news! You get Duncan added to your team! As a consolation prize.”
“Que?!” Alejandro yelled out just as Tyler squawked out in shock at the statement. They had won, they had caught The Ripper!
Chris pouted, mockingly, as he wagged a finger in the boy’s direction, shaking his head.
“I don’t make the rules! Oh, wait, I do!”
What Alejandro could classify as maniacal laughter echoed from the host as the realization set in.
Slowly, Alejandro turned back to face his team, to face Noah, the boy he had publicly announced his disapproval and distrust for.
It was unnerving when he only received a smile.
Tyler followed Alejandro as Team Chris headed into economy class, told by Chris that they had to vote within the hour. One hour, to figure a way out of the situation Alejandro found himself in.
On one hand, his pride wanted him to fight. To stand up to Noah and declare that he would beat him, that his terrible actions and aggravating attitude wouldn’t come out on top. That Alejandro wouldn’t allow such a scummy person to win.
But on the other hand, he could just leave. Give up, be done with it. Not having to continue in such an awful competition with someone who would certainly be out for his blood, someone who wasn’t afraid to allow other contestants to get hurt if it meant he got further in the game.
Bridgette, who Noah had let vent to him about her issues with Geoff from the previous season of the show. Noah claimed he was perfect for her to talk to, to lean on, as he had no bias. Alejandro saw him duck out of the way as Bridgette fell and got stuck to a freezing pole in the Yukon, seemingly as though she was leaning in for a hug.
Harold, who seemed near tears when Alejandro passed him in the hallway, only minutes before his elimination ceremony. Alejandro had heard he chose to eliminate himself, and Noah had acted far too smug the following day for it to be a coincidence.
“How should I vote tonight?”
Alejandro looked to his side, seeing Tyler had taken his usual seat on the bench beside him. Alejandro sighed, reaching a hand up to run through his hair as his face scrunched up in thought.
“I am not sure. Duncan is a wild card here, but Noah and Owen will surely be voting for me.” He explained quietly, more talking to himself than his unfortunately dense friend. Nonetheless, Tyler nodded along.
“Duncan is already… admittedly not my biggest fan. It would be quite simple for Noah to use Owen to guarantee a vote, as Owen and Duncan have a good history. Joder.”
Alejandro rested his head in his hands as he groaned, body too tired and mind too active for him to feel any type of good.
He felt Tyler pat his back in comfort, and Alejandro allowed him to enjoy the small moment. He was interrupted, however, by Owen and his undeniably loud voice.
“Noah, how did you get captured? I was worried about you, I swear. I was!” He spoke in a rush, a bit of nervous energy expelling from the boy as Noah took a seat on the bench opposing Alejandro.
Crossing his legs, Noah smiled up at Owen, reaching up to brush some carefully styled bangs from his eyes.
“Don’t ask. But, yes, I know you were, Owen,” He let out a small, clearly fake sigh afterward, glancing over to where the duo in red were sitting together.
“It’s nice to know one of my teammates cares for me,” He continued, his nauseatingly sweet voice leaving Alejandro feeling sick in his stomach.
Noah was so horrifically fake, it pained Alejandro to think there was ever a point in which he held any kind of affection for the lousy excuse of a team leader. It made his blood boil, that he was getting away with so much, right under everyone’s nose.
With nothing left to lose, Alejandro shot a nasty glare at where Noah was sitting, mumbling a few choice words under his breath in Spanish. Green eyes flickered to where Owen stood, and disappointment flashed in his expression.
The blonde idiot squished himself into Noah’s side a moment later, squeezing the smaller boy into a death grip of the hug. Alejandro stifled a laugh at the look of surprise on the genius’ face, likely momentarily regretting his decision of emotionally manipulating Owen, who was currently swearing up and down that he did care for Noah.
It’s unfortunately not hard to get into Owen’s heart. What chance do I stand to get him to distrust someone he knows nothing about? There’s no physical evidence I could use to prove the poco hijo de puta is evil!
When Alejandro was forced his vote, he stamped Noah’s passport as planned, but he knew it was useless. Even when Tyler confirmed he’d done the same, neither boy had any clue where Duncan’s vote would lie.
At best, there would be a tie-breaker. At worst, Alejandro would be going home.
Tyler had complained when Alejandro declined his offer to head to dinner together down in the dining hall, shuffling out of economy class with a frown. They both knew it would be their last meal together on the plane, but Alejandro refused to choke down any more of Chef’s disgusting food if freedom was on the horizon.
He leaned against the wall behind him, folding his arms against his chest as his eyes slipped shut. If he was going to be thrown out of a makeshift deathtrap that night, the least he could do was try and relax beforehand.
Alejandro tuned out his other teammates the best he could as they made their way out of economy class, Owen more than happy that his green-haired friend had returned to the game, the two in the middle of catching up as they exited the room. The door opened and shut with a soft click, which is why Alejandro nearly jumped out of his skin as a voice spoke from across from him.
“Not up for dinner tonight, Al?”
Placing a hand against his racing heart, Alejandro looked to the opposing bench to his own, Noah himself still perched prettily in his seat. He had his hands pressed to the wood below him, leaning forward just enough for him to peer up at Alejandro through his bangs.
Alejandro felt a deep scowl pull on his face, digging his fingers into the fabric of his red sweater as he glared toward his shortest teammate.
“Do not call me that. Only those who actually care for me get to call me Al, puta.” He couldn’t help but stick the insult on at the last moment, knowing that Noah wouldn’t understand him anyway. The boy seems to grasp the concept despite the difference in language, as his malicious grin only grows, eyes narrowing dangerously.
“And whose fault is it that I don’t? I was more than happy to continue stringing you along, it was almost enjoyable,” Noah almost cooed, batting his lashes before leaning back to laugh, flicking some of his shiny hair over his shoulder.
“You’re so intelligent, admittedly, I was excited to have a competent teammate. But you had to go and ruin it for everyone,” He rattled on with a clearly annoyed sigh following his little speech. Alejandro grumbled in response.
“You did not care for me, because you do not care for anyone! I know it was you who got Team Victory eliminated, all of them!”
“Eh, not Ezekiel, or Lindsay. Might want to check your facts there, darling,”
Alejandro stood up at that, stepping forward until he was towering over Noah, grateful his genetics had allowed him a height advantage over the insufferable twat.
“Your tricks will not win in the end, even after you have me eliminated. Have you seen this show? Villains like you never prevail. People such as Owen and Tyler do, so enjoy your pathetic power trip while it lasts, eres una persona terrible, y te mereces lo que te viene.”
Alejandro could feel the anger pulsing deep in his veins as he practically snarled down at Noah, who blinked up at him slowly, as if he was simply waiting for the other boy to finish being dramatic.
While Alejandro knew he had a bit of a temper, he had never met someone who brought it out in such a vicious capacity. It was infuriating how calm and collected Noah was able to stay, how indifferent he acted when presented with so much emotion, so many opportunities to do well.
A tanned hand reached up and wrapped around the collar of Alejandro’s sweater, yanking him down before he had time to process the actions. One of his own hands slammed against the wall behind Noah in an attempt to keep balance, and suddenly Alejandro was inches away from deep brown eyes.
“You think you’re better than me? Just because you have your little klutz of a lackey, who cares for you? Please, you’re so pathetic, I almost feel bad.”
There it was, the venom Alejandro had been so desperately waiting to see in full force, let completely loose. Noah’s grip around the red fabric keeping Alejandro bent down was tight, and his other hand came up to grab the other’s chin, forcing him to maintain eye contact.
“You think you know everything, but you don’t. You have no idea how cruel I can be when disrespected.”
Alejandro was released moments later, head gently pushed to the side as he pushed himself up and away from the wall, stumbling backward as he found his footing. Noah smiled up at him as he steadied himself, crossing his arms as he leaned back casually.
“No matter, you’ve already been punished. Enjoy the last bit of your friendship while you still have the time,” He all but giggled to himself at the implications of his words, and Alejandro brushed himself off with a deep frown. He had already known he was eliminated, but now he had to worry about Noah targeting Tyler in his absence.
Alejandro soon found himself walking out from economy class and down the hallway of the plane, stopping just outside of the dining hall. He could hear the other contestants inside, chattering away and eating their dinner for the night.
He hesitated before entering, before going to find Tyler, to try and warn him of how dangerous Noah seemed to be. Maybe he could attempt and convince Owen again, reason for once with Duncan about his new team leader's true nature.
But he already felt so idiotic, so tired of the stupid drama and challenges and overall show as a whole. He wouldn’t be the first contestant to be taken out by Noah, and he likely wouldn’t be the last. It was a disappointing, but fitting end for his place in the TV show that was Total Drama.
He never did too much, never really got in anyone’s way. He gets one moment of glory in figuring out the antagonist of the third season and revealing it to the audience, but faces immediate repercussions because of it. He wasn’t able to outwit the genius brought on specifically to take everyone out, and he would have to be okay with that.
So, swallowing the small part inside calling out for him to take one final stand, Alejandro slinks his way into the dining hall to have one final moment with his best friend. With Owen too, even if Alejandro was currently irritated with the boy's lack of proper character judgment.
From the way Duncan smirked down at the schemer as he sat next to a bittersweet-looking Tyler, Alejandro accepted his fate, sighing to himself in defeat.
He and Tyler made their way down to the elimination room quietly, heading together after the rest of their team had already entered. Noah sat on top of the bleachers, Owen and Duncan taking up two spaces in the middle row.
Alejandro and Tyler exchange matching raised eyebrows before taking their seats on the bottom row of the stacked seats. Chris steps into view only seconds later, clearing his throat as he flashes the stamped passports of the night, just quick enough so no one could catch a proper glimpse of the marked pictures.
“Boys, welcome to your first official elimination ceremony! Here I hold the answer to the unlucky victim here to take the drop of shame,” The host spoke, waggling his eyebrows toward a camera near the back of the room, showing off for the audience. Alejandro rolled his eyes.
“Alright, let’s see who it is! Uh-huh… oh? Mm, that’s expected… huh. Interesting.”
“Stop drawing it out! Seriously, infuriating,” Duncan called from his spot above Tyler, stomping a foot against the rickety wood the boys were sitting on. Chris blinked once or twice as he rechecked the passports before grinning up at the teenagers.
“The contestant taking the drop of shame tonight is…”
Alejandro closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he awaited for his fate to be sealed.
“Tyler!”
“What?!”
Tyler yelled out in surprise, horror crossing his face as he whipped around to face the rest of his team in confused disbelief. Owen looked away quickly, shamefully, and Duncan shrugged with indifference.
“Hey man, it’s just the game,” The mohawk-bearing punk explained as Tyler was grabbed by Chef, yanked up from his seat and toward the door of the plane without a seconds hesitation.
Alejandro felt completely frozen as he watched his best friend, his first friend, get an unreliable parachute shoved into his arms, panic seeping from him as he shook upon facing the open door he was sentenced to go falling out of.
“Al!” He called with a nervous tremor in his voice as Chef nudged him toward the door, and Alejandro shot up from his seat.
“No, that’s not possible. I thought-” The schemer cuts himself off with realization, turning to face the puppeteer of his team face to face.
Noah sat upon his metaphorical throne, slowly raising a hand to wave down to where his two teammates stood. A smirk grew on his face as his hand moved to point behind Alejandro, from where a then scream erupted and quickly fell into nothingness.
“No!” Alejandro cried out in dismay, finding his way to the open door too late. Tyler had already been pushed by one of the hosts, and neither boy had gotten to say a proper goodbye. They had been completely blindsided.
“You!” Alejandro seethed, ignoring the way Owen and Duncan cleared themselves from the area as he flew up the bleachers, one foot propped up on the second step as he stared down Noah.
The charmer hummed, completely unfazed by the steam practically pouring from Alejandro’s ears. The brown-eyed boy had the gall to lean closer, looking up at his teammate with a lidded gaze.
“What’s wrong? I told you, you don’t know how cruel I can be,” He whispered with a taunt in his tone, patting Alejandro’s cheek before slipping out from where he sat, making a beeline for the exit.
Alejandro took about two seconds to process the wild range of emotions fighting for control of him- hurt, guilt, fury, before he was chasing after the cunning boy who had pushed him so far.
Noah gasped as Alejandro grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip, showing no sympathy as complaints immediately began flying from Noah’s mouth.
Alejandro yanked the door to the cargo hold open as soon as he’d managed to drag Noah to it, shoving the smaller boy inside before following. He slammed the door shut behind them, spinning on his heel to walk Noah back into a wall.
“How dare you? Tyler had done nothing to you! What could you possibly hope to gain from this move? Is it just to provoke me? Are you that hurt that I saw past your little act?”
Alejandro spoke in a hiss as Noah was forced to press himself against the back of the plane, eyes darting around in a nearly nervous manner. Nails dragged in a screech as he dragged his palms against the metal behind him, managing to shoot a glare up at the boy caging him.
“To think I considered you an ally at first, someone who was able to match me in wits. You said I ruined things for everyone? You ruined it yourself, I actually liked you!”
The words were flung angrily toward Noah, who seemed to concede to simply taking the hateful speech, until his eyes lit up as the fury-driven voice trailed off into mildly labored breathing.
Alejandro's mind began to race with questions as Noah slowly pulled one of his hands from the wall, carefully moving to press it against Alejandro’s chest.
“Oh, I get it, you like me, that’s where all this energy is coming from,” Noah started softly, allowing his hand to slide upward until it was resting on Alejandro’s shoulder. The taller boy felt his face flush at the proximity, as well as embarrassment.
“Liked, not like. And- no, not like that. You’re disgusting,” He deflected immediately, feeling his previous power of the situation slowly getting pulled from him by his overly egotistical teammate.
Noah’s small smirk widened, making a bold move to lean forward and wrap both his arms around Alejandro’s neck, pulling him down until they were about eye level.
“Disgusting or not, I’m the only reason you’re still here, honey,” He drawled, yanking on the back of Alejandro’s hair as he attempted to direct his gaze elsewhere. The red-clad boy hissed in discomfort, returning his gaze to the others as he swallowed shakily.
“Tyler was, for lack of a better phrase, completely useless. But, you’re not,” Noah explained, in a tone similar to a teacher lecturing a misbehaving child. “By no means am I ‘hurt’ by any meaningless revelations you may have made about me. If anything,”
Noah paused, using one hand to cup Alejandro’s face, leaning in so close his teammate couldn’t control himself as his eyes flickered down. Noah grinned at the response, having Alejandro exactly where he wanted, putty in his hand.
“It makes me want to keep you around even more. You’re the most fun to play with.”
Noah pulled away slightly, allowing Alejandro to take in a sharp breath of air, feeling incredibly overheated all of a sudden. He shoved Noah backward quickly, stepping away from the obnoxiously attractive genius.
“Don’t expect me to just go along with this. I don’t take you hurting my friends lightly,” Alejandro managed to argue back after a moment of recollecting his thoughts. He pressed his hand to his chest in an attempt to slow his racing heart, shaking his head to clear it better.
Noah shrugged, folding his hands behind his back as he stepped away from the wall.
“Please, Tyler gets hurt with or without my help.” He grinned, walking forward until he stood next to Alejandro. He placed a hand up on his shoulder, whispering up into his ear with a low tone.
“Don’t make me hurt anyone else. Be good, and maybe I’ll throw you a treat every now and again.”
Once again Alejandro felt Noah slide his hand along him, this time down his arm until he had his hand grasped in his own silver ringed own. He brought Alejandro’s hand to his lips, pressing a quick kiss to the back of it before releasing him from his hold.
“Come back to economy class soon, not that you’d need any beauty sleep, but because I like to keep an eye on you,” He finished with a wink, barely visible in the dim lighting of the cargo hold, but enough to pull a huff of irritation from Alejandro, who hoped his flushed face was hidden by the darkness as Noah took his leave.
As the fox stalks away from his newest prey, Alejandro couldn’t help but feel as if the game had only truly begun for him.