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planetatlas · 8 months

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~ Sanctuary ~ Duncan (TDI)

Summary: You and Duncan are childhood friends. After Duncan leaves for the show he got cast on, Total Drama Island, all the both of you do is count the days until he gets home.

Content: Fluff, you patiently waiting for Duncan to come home, Duncan using his love for you as his coping mechanism for getting through the show.

A/N: I listened to Sanctuary by Joji the entire time I was writing this. Just a bit of childhood friends to lovers fluff.

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It was summertime. Five year old Duncan was currently chasing a five-year-old (Y/N) through the park. The sun was shining, Duncan could barely hear the birds whistling and cars driving by over the wind rushing through his ears as he ran as fast as he could after you. “TAG! You’re it!” He screamed as he finally got close enough to slap your back lightly. He watched you turn around before he took off sprinting the other direction. You were getting closer, and closer, until your little hand began reaching for his arm. You were so close to touching him, just a little further and-

He felt a slight poking sensation on his butt, then fully woke up when he felt something poke him in the nose. He grabbed whatever was poking him before standing up and snapping it in half. It was a stick. The other members of his team were using a stick to wake him up. He was more than a little irritated, as not only had he warned them not to wake him, but they also used a stick and poked him instead of just shaking him or yelling or literally anything else. On top of that, they interrupted a dream of a fond memory he has of when you two were children. It was the day you two had met. As he demanded an explanation and then proceeded to teach his team how to win dodgeball, you stayed in the back of his mind. He wondered if you were watching him right now.

You watched as Duncan led his team to victory in the dodgeball tournament, this episode’s event. You laughed quietly to yourself at the fact that he managed to turn the tournament into a game of one-sided prison dodgeball. You felt slightly bad watching the other team get demolished, but you were happy for Duncan for winning that episode. As it ended and you turned your TV off, you bid your parents goodbye as you grabbed your things and headed to your room. As happy as you were that Duncan was offered such a big opportunity like this, you also felt lonely. It felt a little selfish, but you missed Duncan a lot. He was basically the only person you talked to, but you tried to keep yourself occupied by talking to and hanging out with your other school friends. You just wished you could communicate with him and see how he was doing. The show he was on looked a little brutal, and you couldn’t help but worry about his well-being.

This place was starting to get to Duncan. He didn’t show it outwardly, but it was starting to drain him and he felt like he was going insane. He knew the viewers of Total Drama Island probably believed it was all for show, but this show was actually physically dangerous sometimes. The only thing that kept him sane and determined was counting down the days until he got to go home, to you. He sat on the steps of his cabin and watched as everyone mingled about since this was one of the rare moments the cameras weren’t stalking them and they got to hang out together freely. That was another thing that got on his nerves, the constant invasion of privacy. It was all stacking up and causing him way too much stress to be normal. Courtney walked over to him and asked if he was okay, but he shrugged her off, giving her the excuse of being tired and not in the mood to socialize. That was partly true, he only really wanted to socialize with you at the moment. He wondered what you were up to, how you were doing, what you had been doing since he’d left. He wished you were here with him. He then thought about his “relationship” with Courtney. The producers, directors, and Chris thought it would be a great idea, as it would bring in more publicity and spice things up, but Duncan found that he just could not make it real no matter what. However, he knew exactly why he couldn’t feel for Courtney romantically.

She couldn’t compare to you in his eyes. You were the one who held his affection, no one else.

You were sitting in bed, watching YouTube on your laptop. You were having trouble paying attention though, as your mind wandered to Duncan again. The episodes of Total Drama Island were getting more and more shocking and dangerous, and it made you wonder just how much of it was fake. Surely they wouldn’t knowingly endanger several minors to this degree, right? You were just glad that Duncan has made it this far unscathed. It reminded you of when he’d get into fights or hurt himself doing something stupid and you’d be there to patch him up, like always. The distance and inability to contact him was starting to weigh on you a little. You really missed him, but at least you got to see him and hear him talk, even if it was through a TV screen. You were grateful for this, as he wasn’t afforded the same luxury with you.

Duncan laid curled on his bunk, one of your hoodies tucked into his chest. He’d made sure everyone else was asleep before bringing it out, he didn’t want anyone else to get a hold of it, much less know about it. They had done the “Phobia Factor” episode today and it took a lot out of him mentally. Initially, he was scared stiff at the mere idea of hugging a Celine Dion standee, but when he got up to it, memories of you and your comfort gave him the courage to go through with it. Before he hugged it, he just remembered the times when he’d freak out if you two passed one when you were out together, and you would tease him for it. However, when the nightmares would come the night after you always comforted him through them, not a hint of teasing or judgment to be found. He breathed in the smell of your hoodie, which was lavender laundry detergent. The moonlight was shining through the window, hitting the object in his hand perfectly and giving him full visibility to it. It was a locket, to which you had a matching one, with a photo of you in it. As time went on, he felt as though this show was as bad as juvie, with no contact with you. He was grateful he was able to bring your hoodie and the locket this time, since he couldn’t have them in juvie. As he considered it, he’d probably want the items here instead as sometimes this place felt more traumatizing than juvie. The lavender scent from your hoodie lulled him to sleep that night, unaware of someone who happened to catch a glimpse of what he had been holding.

You were struggling to sleep that night. You kept reminiscing on memories of you and Duncan. They were brought up when you watched the most recent episode of TDI. The fact that Duncan actually admitted to his fear of Celine Dion music store standees and had to hug one was hilarious to you. You remembered all the times he would jump when you would pass them, and then you would remember the many nights you had comforted him after a nightmare about the stupid things. It may be a silly fear, but you never looked down on him for it. It was just a part of who he was, and you took it in stride along with everything else. It didn’t change your perception of him, he was still the same guy you loved with all your heart. You then began to wonder about the romance he seemed to have with Courtney. You wondered if it was just some random romance for publicity or if it was real. It looked real enough, but something felt off. Maybe you just knew Duncan too well and could tell when he was acting or wasn’t being sincere about something. You hugged your plushie to your chest, trying to ground yourself and distract your mind from the topic. As you hugged it, you thought about how you got it. It was a plushie Duncan had won you at a carnival a couple of years ago. It was cheesy, just a stuffed rabbit, but it was special. It was the first thing he’d ever gotten you. Whenever you had to be separated from him for a while, or even if the smell would just start to fade, he’d spray his cologne onto it. It was subtle, but it smelt like him. Everything about him smelt like it; his room, his clothes, even his shampoo and conditioner came in the same scent, but it was his and it comforted you. You reached over and opened your matching locket to see the photo you had taken of him one day when he wasn’t paying attention. You fell asleep with the locket still clutched in your hand, which your parent took and put back on your nightstand before turning the lights off when they came to check on you after seeing your light still on.

Harold, DJ, Geoff, and Owen snuck into the Killer Bass cabin after seeing Duncan walk into the cafeteria hall. They dug around Duncan’s bunk for a moment before DJ pulled out a plain black hoodie. “It smells like lavender,” he informed the others as they gathered around to look at it. Harold then brought up the point, “I mean it’s just a plain black hoodie but I don’t think he’s the kind of guy to use lavender laundry detergent, and it’s weird that we’ve never seen him wear it,” the other boys murmuring in agreement and confusion, wondering why Duncan would have such an item and not wear it. “Look guys! Check this out,” Geoff alerted before pulling a locket out of Duncan’s pillowcase. Owen opened the locket before gasping in surprise. The other boys gathered around and saw a photo of a person in it. They began to question who it was and if they were the reason Duncan wouldn’t pursue Courtney romantically outside of camera view. Then they heard the door slam open. Everyone screamed when they saw Duncan, who looked like he was about to explode. Needless to say, they didn’t attempt to pry into Duncan’s life and warned everyone else not to either, but they didn’t tell anyone what they saw. They felt it was personal and believed it should be Duncan's choice whether or not to talk about it.

You were watching the newest episode of TDI with your friends, just talking amongst yourselves when you weren’t glued to what was happening on screen. One of your friends asked you how you were doing with Duncan being gone for the show for so long, and you admitted that it had been a little difficult but you were grateful to them for helping you and keeping you busy. They began teasing you for having a crush on Duncan, saying you were “so in love”. You just rolled your eyes but you kept watching the TV as your eyes would stay glued to Duncan. One of your other friends then asked how you felt about his romance with Courtney, to which you responded saying it didn’t bother you that much seeing as how you weren’t dating and he could make his own choices. You didn’t admit that it did make you quite jealous, as you didn’t feel like it was your place to be.

It had been months since he started TDI. So many people had gotten sent home, and finally, it was his turn. He made it to fourth place, he wished he could’ve won but it’s better than nothing. He was more than a little annoyed when he was brought to Playa Des Losers after being eliminated and seeing how much better it was than Camp Wawanakwa. Despite that, he was trying to enjoy what little time he had there. Since he was fourth, only three more people needed to be eliminated before they all went home which wouldn’t be long. Courtney did approach him at one point, talking to him normally before asking if he wanted to make their romance on the show real. He turned her down politely, stating that he already had feelings for someone else back at home. She inquired if they were dating and if the kiss they shared on the show counted as cheating, but he told her you weren’t dating but he still did it just for the show. She understood, turning to walk over to Bridgette and Geoff sitting by the pool. His mind then swarmed with thoughts of you. He was still counting down the days until he could see you again. The thought of seeing you made his entire body buzz and fill with warmth.

Seeing Duncan get voted off did sadden you a little, but you were also growing more excited by the day. Duncan came in fourth, which meant the show would end soon. Soon, he’d be back home, back in your arms. You could hardly contain yourself as the days passed by and the show finally ended with Owen being the winner.

The day of his arrival was finally here and you couldn’t stop bouncing with excitement. You’d been anticipating this for so long. You watched as the plane landed, he’d texted you when the boat brought them back to the mainland telling you he got soaked and had to change before the flight. You laughed at that, and continued to wait patiently. Finally, the plane landed and the contestants began filing out. You stood there anxiously, searching for the green mohawk you’d missed. You noticed a few of the guys from the show do a double take when they saw you, but you figured they just had you confused with someone else. Finally, he came out of the loading dock and when he saw you both of you froze. You didn’t know what to do, you were so overwhelmed with excitement and shock and happiness that your brain stopped functioning for a minute. It seems like his did as well.

When Duncan exited the loading dock and caught sight of you, it felt like time froze. To him, no one else existed at the moment, and how could they when you were finally in front of him? After a minute he shook his head to clear his thoughts, vaguely taking notice of the other former contestants staring at the both of you, but he didn’t have time to process it as he lunged at you, engulfing you in a hug. You hugged him back just as tightly, jumping up as he reached you and wrapping your legs around his waist. His arms flew behind your back and pinned you to him, squeezing so tightly you would think he was trying to suffocate you but you didn’t mind. You two stayed like that for a while before releasing your hold on him and dropping back to the ground. You grabbed him by the hand and said, “Let’s go get your luggage and go home.” All he could do was nod dumbly like a lovesick puppy as he followed you to baggage claim.

You and Duncan were in your room, laying on your bed with you slightly leaning against stacked pillows and Duncan laying on your front with his head on your chest and your arms around his back. Duncan had music playing softly on your TV, and you were just basking in each other’s presence until Duncan let out a quiet hum. You nudged him to question what he was saying, and he brought his head up to rest his chin on your chest, looking you in the eyes.

“You know the thing with Courtney wasn’t real right? None of it was.” he questioned you.

You replied, “Of course I did. I know you well enough to know when something is off,” rolling your eyes at the end.

Instead of a snarky reply, Duncan simply looked at you thoughtfully. He looked like he was gathering his thoughts and figuring out what to say before opening his mouth. “The fake romance with her did make me realize I need to admit something I’ve been hiding for too long.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“That I’m in love with you. The distance and not being able to talk to you or see you didn’t help either.”

You stared at him wide-eyed, mouth slightly open with shock. He watched your reaction for a moment, before disappointment crossed his face and he went to speak again before you stopped him. “Before you say it, don’t be sorry because you didn’t make anything uncomfortable. I’ve been waiting to hear those words for so long.”

He looked shocked for just a second before soft warmth filled his eyes. “Well if I knew you’d been waiting I would’ve told you sooner. In that case, would you go out with me? And do me the honor of going on a date this weekend?”

“Absolutely, I’m all yours,” you smiled gently as you responded to him. He gave you a content look before laying back down onto your chest, beginning to doze off as happiness and love filled his body. He felt like he’d been waiting for this forever, been waiting to be here. He’d been waiting to come home, to you.

His sanctuary.

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A/N: I loved writing this one, it's just so adorable to me. Feel free to request anything!

#td duncan #total drama duncan #tdi duncan #tdi duncan x reader #duncan x reader #tdi #td #total drama #total drama island #td owen #td dj #td geoff #td harold #td courtney

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