Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This was terrifying… This wasn’t what he had expected, not in the slightest.

After being the very first person ever to have won that Vr Dino game and the free trip to becoming one of the first-ever teens to stay over the summer at the new state-of-the-arts Jurassic Park Camps, he wasn’t entirely expecting that he and his newfound friends would have to risk their very lives every single day from what they had hoped wouldn’t be for the rest of their lives.

With Darius being a Dino nerd genius and Kenji playing as a leader, they all believed they could survive this chaotic new life . They were able to somewhat bond over this ‘Risking each other’s lives so that they could survive together.’ It wasn’t the best way to form friendships, but really? They were never given any other choice.

Throughout the first day in the chaos, they did everything within their power just to survive. They fought some battles along the way and won most if not every; the only time they had ever felt like they’d genuinely failed was when Ben, the germaphobic Dino parent, fell from the tram as a pteranodon whisked him away. 

That’s when everything gradually continued to only worsen for the group, including Darius. He feared for his friend and watched how horrified he had seemed as their hands were no longer intertwined. Losing a person, a friend at that , was one of the most terrifying things he had ever witnessed firsthand. The feeling of their hands slowly losing their grip, inching farther and farther away from one another. The fearful gaze of Ben staring desperately towards his only source of survival in the eyes.

When Darius was able to bring his friend closer into a firm hold, he thought he was safe, like maybe now things were finally going to be okay; he felt like he had done something remarkably impossible, but as the lights within the tram began to flicker for barely a fraction of a millisecond, at that very moment, it had seemed as though time slowed down eminently, if not- to a complete stop . The sudden sound of glass shattering with the scarce feeling of a wing grazing against Darius's already swollen cheek, without even getting the chance to bat an eye, Ben… Was gone . 

And Darius was to blame…- Or so he believed.

As the weeks progressed into mere months, with the group hiding and trying their best to survive, the encounter with the poacher couple and the mercenary at first felt like a distant fever dream for the five of them, but after some quality time with the trio and minor betrayals here and there, the encounter with the new and highly improved Ben was nothing but unexpected. When Brook, Kenji, Sammy, and Yaz were the first to encounter Ben, their reactions were relieved and content, but as Darius reencountered the boy, his reaction was nothing more than pure shock and heartache. 

He felt entirely guilty for not only dropping his friend from the 30-foot tram but also for the fact that Darius wasn’t even able to try and look for Ben if, by some miracle , he was still alive. Darius had given up on him, just as everyone else did, but Darius was the one who had Ben dangling from his hand; Darius was the one who stood between Ben’s life and his emanate death. He was the one that held Ben’s life in between his hands, and yet he did nothing but let go and watched in despair as the airborne carnivores whisked his friend away and out of sight.  

Darius could do nothing but stare as Ben struggled to say hello to his distant friend on their first encounter for what seemed to have been ages. Ben was half expecting a reply or even a simple nod or a wave as a small welcoming gesture, but no , he instead felt the gentle yet firm grip of two heavy arms wrapping underneath his chest and greedily gripping against his shirt, nails scratching and irritating the skin on his back wrinkling the fabric in between his digits. He understood why Darius was reacting like this; he knew that he was only holding on so vigorously in fear that Ben would somehow fade out from existence once again if Darius had let go. 

He wasn't going to lose him again…  not again… Never Again. He will never let him go, not this time…  

With Ben by their side, everything once again felt whole; it felt as though this was where and what it should be. With an old yet new party added into their lives, there was no possible way camp fam wouldn't be able to leave this island; they all had that lodged within their minds. They knew without a doubt that they would make it; they were going home. 

They upgraded their tiny makeshift home and made many plans and blueprints to figure out a way to leave this island officially. They did everything they could, including creating a raft of sorts and trying to venture out at sea. They made it out rather far, and they were all relieved to find that this plan worked, but unfortunately for Ben, he had come to an unorthodox realization. 

He watched as his trusted Dinosaur partner slowly faded off into the distance; the ear curdling sounds of Bumpys child-like yells and screams did nothing but worsen the feeling drilled deep within Ben's chest. He felt as though he was leaving something precious to him behind, someone who meant more to him than anything on that cursed island. 

Ben wanted nothing more than to run back to his little- not so little anymore Dinosaur and give her a reassuring hug. They were going to bring her at first, but due to the size of the raft and the weight of his beloved Bumpy, there was no way they'd be able to fit that beautiful creature. Ben sat against a vacant corner of the raft and watched as the island continued to move further away, or…  I guess we're the ones moving in this scenario . He chuckled at that thought, imagining seeing the island randomly grow legs and walk off to God knows where was such a silly idea -

"Have something in mind, Ben?" 

"Oh- uhm…  it's nothing Darius, just thinkin'." Ben glanced at his right side before facing back towards his secondary home. He didn't want to worry or bother Darius with his traitorous mind…  especially now that he realized he no longer wanted to leave the island-

"Come on, wonder kid, spill. What's got, you so worked up? You seem tense." Ben watched in admiration as Darius discreetly bumped his shoulder with his own as the right side of the raft tilted a tad bit from Darius's descending form. Ben smiled faintly at the playful gesture Darius had displayed. 

"I just…  I don't want to worry you; Darius is all… or the others. I'm grateful for what you've done for me, and I'm relieved that I'm not alone anymore. Granted, I'd rather you all had gotten off the island as planned… but I can't help but feel a little selfish. For this concerning feeling."

"And…  what's concerning you, Ben?" Darius gave the boy before him a sad smile; he waited patiently for the other to continue their little rant. Ben knew that Darius was only trying to be kind, he knew he was only trying to help, but Ben didn't want to admit anything. No matter how cowardly or selfish he may seem for denying his friends kindness, he wanted nothing more than to hide away from civilization entirely. 

"I-... I can't say… Listen, Darius, I just… don't think I'm ready to leave the Isl-" But before he could finish his sentence, something unexpected took place right before the group's very eyes. A vast wave practically the size of a mountain domestically hovered above the group. Without warning, the entire tidal wave collapsed against their raft and drifted them back to shore, leaving all hope to be lost. 

"So…" Darius began. 

"So." Brooklyn countered. She knew this plan was bound to fall apart the moment they first left the confinements of their makeshift home. She knew how absurd and utterly idiotic the outline and idea were, yet she still stuck with it because why wouldn't she? No one else had a better idea, a better method to lead with. They tried riding the Gyrospheres, but they hadn't realized that they were incapable of floating. However, they were persistent, so they tried a few more different ways anyway. 

They tried to learn how to fly a helicopter, but being children of their stature, there was no way they'd be able to understand such advanced technicalities such as that in mere seconds, so no, that was now out of the equation. They've thought long and hard, but we're only faced with one conclusion. 

"We just have to try again. Build a new raft, find new parts, I'm sure even we could manage." Could Darius even believe himself? Not entirely, at least, not now. 

So from then on, they continued with the same old plan as before; all they needed to do now was find the right equipment to make such a device a reality. It was hard to manage, but soon this group of survivors knew they would benefit from pulling it off. Although, everything changed course once they found the hang gliders, and not only that but an entire nestling civilization of flying predictory creatures that seemingly resided within the said mountain. It was rather odd yet understandable; after all, they were on a populated dinosaur island, ever-growing into a world of chaos. 

'How lovely.'

Unfortunately for the group, their plans had proven unsuccessful. They've done all they could, but nothing came to play. They fought through dinosaur after dinosaur, blew up buildings and sites, and even fought against people they believed to be friends. After the chaos, they were about to give up entirely, but that was until an opportunity came to play, a way home. 

And so they took it, taking the boat they had seemingly found off the island and into the unknown. Or at least, that was the plan until this new unforeseen creature came into. The group was terrified of this new unheard-of species, a species even Darius struggled to identify. They ran and fought, but unfortunately, Darius didn't seem to make it in time, for by the time he ran towards the dock, the boat and his friends were gone, all of them lost within the distant void of the freezing waves. 

"They're… gone…." Darius glanced off in the horizon, utterly at a loss with this sudden realization; he stood there staring long and hard at where his only way to escape was far gone, miles upon miles away from the Island. 

He was so lost within his head that he didn't even notice when Ben placed a hesitant hand on top of his shoulder. Darius merely flinched, knowing who it was but didn't say anything, for instead, he chose to silently place his hand with Ben's, squeezing Ben's delicate fingers like they were his lifeline. 

Ben couldn't help but frown at that sudden gesture. He wanted nothing more than to have Darius be able to get home to his family, and he wanted nothing more than to reassure Darius that they'll be back, but he simply just couldn't say anything about it; he chose just to stand there silently, giving the boy the only form of reassurance he was capable of producing. He would've even given Darius a hug or anything of the like just to let the boy know that he wasn't alone, but before he could say or do anything, the sudden sounds of a gruesome snarl appeared before their very own ears. 

Both turned to the sound yet struggled to find the source. Their peering eyes roamed from bush to tree, uncertain what or where the horrific sounds were coming from. Ben took that moment alone to flail his hand towards Darius, subconsciously wanting nothing more than to physically be able to protect the boy from any unnecessary dangers that were to come their way. He took that moment to stand in front of Darius protectively. 

Ben scanned the entire area with a low glare, noticing every little detail surrounding them. It was merely the sudden flinch of a bush that had caught his everlasting attention. Turning without a single word, he finally noticed the trustworthy source of their problems—the Scorpios.  

Those long sharp nails pointed jagged teeth, spiked tail, the unnatural humanoid features it possessed, its entirety was enough to scare anyone out of their skin, even Ben, but he wasn't too prone to sharing that little fact. 

This situation was far worse than he had initially believed it to be. First, their friends left without Darius, and now this terrifying dinosaur has found the both of them, knowing that Ben couldn't possibly fight this thing without causing Darius any harm. 

Before Ben could even try moving Darius or at least trying to slowly force the both of them to walk back within the jungle, the same sound as before had somehow sounded behind the both of them, only it was a lot lower in pitch, and it sounded far more sinister than what it was back. 

Barely even given a chance to react, the boys simply tumbled to the ground as the new threat jumped from within the bushes and immediately lunged towards the other Scorpios, leaving the pair to roll onto the dirt, trying desperately to get out of the way. Darius collided immediately with the solid ground below them, barely dodging as the sharp spiked on the bigger of the two Scorpius's rammed against the spot where he used to be. 

Ben struggled to Dodge one of the legs from the best as they smashed against each other across the area. Without much of a thought, Ben stood entirely to his feet and grasped Darius by the elbow, immediately running in a direction; it didn't take long for Darius to suddenly find the limousine he and his group had seen from before. Without much thought, Darius grabbed Ben by the hand and immediately gestured towards the shattered glass window in the back, jumping within the car. Darius and Ben cringe at the sudden piercing feeling of glass scratching or impaling their hands and stomachs. 

Ben turned to Darius so suddenly that he could've easily given himself whiplash. "What are you doing?!"

Confused, Ben watched skeptically as Darius braced himself by buckling his seatbelt. Questioning his actions, Ben hadn't quite realized how important in that moment it indeed was to put on a seatbelt, for the car was immediately thrashed into by the oversized lizards. Ben had fastened his seat belt buckle without a second glance, quickly bucking into himself as the two predators continued their gruesome fight. 

They watched as the two swung around one another, throwing each other into trees and other materials; at some point, one would land on top of the hood of the car, while the other much more prominent of the pair landed closer near them, both indenting the hood while also causing the two boys to scream in pure fear. 

They knew making any form of a sound could quite possibly distract their current problems from fighting one another and inevitably go after Ben and Darius. Still, in this sort of situation, they were hardly worried about their jagged teeth implanting themselves within their fragile, divine flesh; they were more so focused on the fact that they could just as quickly die from simply being squished within the car, or much worse, flipped hard enough to land in the ocean beside them. 

They both continued watching the Scorpios as they fumbled with one another; it was so quick and yet so sudden that Ben hadn't even realized they were somehow slammed into the massive tree from before, only now the monsters had tilted the car at a strange angle, both bodies dangled uncomfortably as the seatbelts rubbed against their already rather tender flesh. 

Darius, at that moment, waited as he listened for any more signs that their greatest threats remained within the area. Waiting patiently, he decided to unbuckle his safety belt and fall towards the front of the vehicle at a rather alarming rate. He tried his best not to scream as he slammed into the back of the passenger seat, but it was rather hard not to grimace at the sudden sharp pain he had felt from his left ankle. 

As for Ben, he has swiftly made it onto the back of the driver's seat without much of a sound. He held his ground and kicked the windshield, rolling straight out, and waited patiently for Darius to follow suit. 

"How are there two of those things?!" Ben looked towards the tree from which the Scorpius had stuck them against before watching Darius struggle slightly to make his way down. 

"My working theory is that all the Dinosaurs have other animals' DNA built into their genetic code, like tree frogs, some of which can reproduce Asexually-" As Darius struggled to climb out of the vehicle, Ben did nothing but scoff at his rambling in mock annoyance. 

"I-I meant that as a more rhetorical complaint but thanks." Clumsily enough, he helped Darius as he fumbled out before facing in the direction the two predators ran off towards. 

"The only thing more terrifying than one psycho dinosaur is two that make more of themselves whenever they want!" Angered, Ben couldn't help but pace around for a moment, thinking of how exactly they were supposed to survive now with them gone. 

"You're right. No dinosaur living on this island will stand a chance if these things keep replicating- We gotta do something, fast." Ben couldn't help but watch as Darius wandered slowly in the same direction as the Scorpios pair, doing nothing but glaring in their approach, hating every moment that passes by with him knowing all the other beautiful beings would likely never survive for long if those creatures remained. 

"They don't seem to get along very well…  maybe they'll just take each other out?" Ben tried to add that he wasn't too keen on fighting these beasts, he had defeated torro, but that couldn't possibly compare to this; these creatures were far more dangerous, especially with more than one terrorizing the island. 

"We can't count on that…." Darius began his walk, knowing that acting now was far more important than following them later. Waiting any longer to figure out how to officially defeat these beasts meant that they had less time to live peacefully with the rest of the dinosaurs, which still somewhat remains. "I'm gonna stop them, once and for all."

Ben could do nothing but admire his friend and his sudden determination, knowing how upsetting it was for them to realize they were trapped on this island now that the others had left. Yet, Darius still held that enthusiastic resolve; it was enough for Ben to want nothing more than to help the bot achieve this sudden goal, without question. "So… how are we gonna do it? With explosives?!-"

"No- first, we need to disable them somehow,  knock them out maybe… and to do that, we have to go back to where it all began." Ben could do nothing but follow, confused yet intrigued like a man on a mission. 

"And? Is there a part B to that idea? Like maybe, I don't know… blowing something up?!" Ben exclaimed, more enthusiastically than he had initially planned, but the seriousness behind his words was there. 

Aimlessly the two boys ran, desperately searching meanwhile, trying not to be quickly squashed by the feet of a Brachiosaurus. "You sure this was a good idea, Darius?!"

"This is all we've got, come on! We have to lead them over here!" Darius did nothing but continue his pursuit, they needed this distraction, and with these Dinosaur's heat signatures, it might just be enough to attract the Scorpius to them. 

"So what's the plan, D man? Or are we just winging it?"

Darius huffed a few breaths as they continued running, trying their best to dodge the running feet beside them. It was all fine and dandy, but they couldn't keep their pace with long fast strides as they had initially been hoped for. Ben quickly jumped out of the way, whereas Darius still struggled quite a bit. He tried his best to move this way, but he inevitably tripped and was doomed immediately; Ben took that crucial moment to yank the boy out of danger and held onto the boy like Darius was some sort of lifeline. 

They both say back and watch as the dinosaurs run off in the direction they were hoping they'd go. Ben looked to Darius, out of breath and somewhat concerned for the other. "Darius?-"

"I'm fine, let's just… Let's finish off what we started." Darius stood to his feet, outstretching a hand for the other to take. Ben could do nothing but stare before he smirked as Darius lifted him off of his feet like it was nothing. 

"Lead the way… Darius."

It was strange that Darius seemed so focused, so reluctant, and complacent even after abandonment. Ben knew just how heartbroken the boy must've been, yet here Darius was, acting with that bravado like he always does like his life meant nothing if it meant costing those he cared for. That was something Ben couldn't help but fawn over. He cared dearly for everyone, just like Darius, but not apparently to the same extent. It was like Darius simply cared more about others than himself, and that wasn't a good thing for Ben struggled to feel comfortable with the fact that Darius would risk his literal life for him if it meant saving Ben, and that did nothing concern the boy even more.  

Ben couldn't help but focus mainly on his thoughts as he mindlessly followed Darius in some random direction. He didn't even notice when they had entered the domain of the old Jurassic park until Darius had spoken to him. 

"-Ben?"

"Huh?... Sorry I was just- what did you say again?"

"... I said, we should head inside before the-" But that sentence was never given a chance to be finished, for immediately the boys had stood their ground, both trembling immensely at the sudden rumbling sounds of something grueling clawing within a bush. They turned subconsciously towards the sound, immediately backing away from the horrendous groveling sounds. 

"We-" 

" Should… - Run !" Ben finished, clasping the hand that trembled before him, and took off straight towards the old theme park's entrance. Neither looked back as they ran within the building, dodging every obstacle in their way. It took them hardly any time to make it within the kitchen, both stumbling on top of each other just to hide behind the countertops and stoves. 

Huddled against each other, they held on rather tightly to one another as they listened for any signs of the monster. At first, they had thought their efforts of evading weren't in vain, but as they heard the sudden huff of a breath and the giggling of a doorknob, they couldn't help the sudden bubbling lump within their throats to obstruct their voices. Ben wrapped his arms around the boy next to him, wanting nothing more than to hope for the best even at their worst. While doing the same, Darius merely hugged the boy tighter as they heard the door finally slam open. 

Unlike most people who would react with a horrified scream, both boys reluctantly held in their fearful squeals and continued to stay quiet and to themselves, hoping more than anything that their silent yet deadly loud whimpers would be unnoticed. 

Ben was the first to move for after that ear-piercing roar; silence overpowered that loud sound; he looked to his side, trying to catch the reflection of the pots and pans, hoping to cheat somewhat his way on finding a way out of the kitchen. With reluctance, Ben gently nudged Darius by the elbow and pointed in his direction, trying to signal the two to crawl their way out somehow. From what he could see, there was no sign of the monster, meaning he and Darius had the opportunity to flee unscathed. 

Darius at first didn't quite like the idea, but he had turned and faced in that direction anyway, knowing full well he didn't quite have a choice. Both boys started their pursuit towards the other side, slowly getting closer to their escape route. Before making it towards the door, they stopped right in their tracks at the sudden sound of a growl that vocalized right above them. Frozen in their places, Ben and Darius did nothing but press themselves firmly against the metal counters, with Ben's hand placed against Darius's chest while Darius placed his hand on Ben's. 

Both boys silently whimpered from the sudden feeling of a breath that ran against the top of their heads. Without any else, both knew that the monster was right above them, and neither had any idea whether or not they should take that moment to move and run or to sit still and wait for the beast to attack. Darius flinched slightly as he felt the bottom of the beast's muzzle brush against his hair, but Ben was quick to keep the boy down and unmoving. 

It took some time, but eventually, they heard the creature as they slowly turned the other way and wandered off towards the other side of the kitchen; Ben, now knowing where the monster was, used the pan by his feet as a way to watch the Dinosaur from where he sat. 

Without warning, Ben stood to the tips of his feet and dragged Darius along with them as they headed straight for the door. Ben, without really thinking, quickly turned the stove on full blast and watched for a mere second as the blue flames sparked red in protest from their sudden awakening. "Move- Move, move!"

Both Ben and Darius ran out of the facility and ran straight towards the Compay's territory without second-guessing themselves. 

"If we can climb up these rafters, maybe we could avoid the-" But Darius could hardly even continue or finish that sentence, for the other Scorpios had entered to terrorize them even more with its ghastly appearance. Ben stood his ground, forcing Darius to stick closer towards him while keeping the boy behind him and out of harm's way. 

Backing up closer to the double door, they hadn't realized till it was too late that the Raptor of which Darius had saved had somehow crawled her way within their direction. Cornered, Ben had no idea what or how to change this situation for their advantage. Now facing back to back, Ben facing the Scorpios and Darius facing the Raptor, both boys took one single glance towards the other before immediately separating and running towards the metal contraption by the side of the building. 

Neither tried to climb the bars, but they both stood there in anticipation as the Scorpios turned their full attention towards them. Both boys expected the Raptor to attack or for them to at least have some sort of distraction, but that was all until the Scorpius before them stood their ground all of a sudden and started to screech in some direction above them, taking that moment, the run towards the door where the Raptor still stood and quickly made it at least slightly closer to their escape. "What are we going to do, Darius!? With that thing blocking the exit, we can't-"

Ben wanted nothing more than to complain, to argue just to help himself feel better about the situation, but all else ceased once he had seen Darius stand there, arms outstretched to his sides with his head held low; Ben wanted more than ever to call the boy insane but had stopped himself once he noticed the sudden switch within the eyes of the Blue predator. 

Ben watched as Darius neither moved nor lost eye contact with the ground before the Raptor took that cue to strike; Ben and Darius both moved aside and watched as the Blue raptor pounced on top of the Scorpios without any fears at all. They both watched in concern and awe at how substantial the little reptilian indeed was; they were thrown for crying out loud and still chose to attack. 

Taking that as their distraction, the two boys stumbled back towards the door, watching as the second Scorpios took action and went for their replica. They thrashed and tumbled, both raming against the building beside them, causing it to crumble and fall before them. At that note slowly, Ben immediately took Darius by the hand and ran straight out the building with the Raptor now following suit as the building finally collapsed. Both boys jumped towards the exit, landing painfully against the ground as they heard the building they were just within crumble to a pile of rubble. 

Both boys took a moment to breathe before noticing that the Raptor from before was nowhere to be found, and they could no longer hear the disturbing grumbles of the two most feared beasts within the island. Darius was the first to stand, and Ben could do nothing but follow. Ben watched as Darius sprinted straight towards the scene in what Ben couldn't only describe as pure pity and shame; Ben watched as Darius fell to his knees before the building, his fists trembling against his thighs. 

"No… no, no- no! I didn't want it to end this way- I just…  I wanted them to…  I couldn't!-"

Ben stared for a moment as he noticed the boy trembling on the brink of tears; he gave Darius a moment before walking towards the boy and placing a reluctant hand against his shoulder. 

"Come on, Darius, it wasn't your fault; you and I have a slightly better chance of surviving without them around. Look at the bright side; all the other dinosaurs can now live freely without fear of being hunted for play. You stuck true to your heart and followed your instincts no matter what happened. No matter what happened, I can promise you that you had only helped them in return. They were hurting Darius; we could easily tell they couldn't control their bodies; we did them a favor." Ben wasn't the best when it came to comforting someone, but he tried, which was all he needed, for it did somewhat help the boy before him . Without another word said, Ben efficiently helped Darius to his feet and took that chance to walk back towards their camp area. Now that they were both stuck on the island instead of it just being Ben, they needed to reinforce and somewhat make their home a little more liveable than before. 

But Ben hadn't fully expected Darius to turn direction, facing the opposite way they had needed to go entirely. Ben would've spoken out his concerns and asked him why the boy suddenly changed course. Still, after everything, he couldn't quite yell at the boy and expect things to go his way, and so he had let Darius drag him along, now intertwining their fingers together being as vigilant as ever. 

Ben watched the boy in front of him as they continued their strange travels. His eyes followed the boys every movement, every flick of his hair as it swayed about, the way his shirt would tug against his collar when they moved, the way their hands fit so perfectly together-

"Ben… I'm- I'm sorry." That had seemed to catch Ben's attention; he stared at Darius and the hairs that crawled in the back of his neck. 

"For… what?"

Ben waited as Darius took his time to plan out his words. To say that he was curious was more than just an understatement, for he was completely confused as to what the boy who was leading him somewhere had to say. And that's when he stopped, leading Ben to follow suit a few paces behind simply. 

"I'm sorry for everything. From the very beginning when we all practically neglected you, to the point where I had… had let go… and even now, I can't even protect you from earlier… and now, you're just the one protecting me… from everything."

"Darius… we went over this- none of it was your fault-"

"I know- I know… it's just if I was strong enough; I could've-" without giving Darius a chance to finish his argument, Ben grasped his shoulders and made sure the boy was now facing him ultimately. 

"Darius, no. You and I both know that it wasn't just you at fault there. I couldn't tell from the angle, but I'm sure you were the only one trying to save me, Darius. If there's anyone at fault, it's the people who left you here; they were the ones who let me fall, not you; they never tried, while you gave your all into saving me. And look, you did save me, see? I'm still alive and kicking, I'm right here with you till the end, and you know that."

"... Yeah… suppose you're right but-"

"No, no buts. Darius, you know I'm right, I wouldn't lie to you…  or abandon you, you know how much I care for you… how I love- well… you know. The- the point is D… that no matter what you do or have done, I will always forgive you no matter what. I'll always be by your side at the end of the day." And with that, Ben, now being the one in charge, decided to take the lead in whatever direction Darius was leading them to from before; he didn't seem to disagree, so that was enough for Ben to continue his pursuit. 

It was stupid, utterly stupid for Ben to feel so enraged suddenly, but he couldn't help it. It had taken him a moment to figure out what he had said to realize that he wasn't too far off from the truth, for it was true, Darius was the only one who tried to save him. None of the others jumped in action or even tried to help pull him up. They could've quickly run to Darius's side and supported by pulling them both up and out of harm's way, but they just sat there and watched. He can only remember seeing them all shocked in their chairs and just watching from afar rather than help. 

Ben knew that being angry wouldn't help, but he simply couldn't just let that go. Now he has to continue living knowing that Darius was slowly being tormented by something that wasn't even his fault. Darius was the only one who ran to help. He was the only one who answered his call for help, the only one willing to sacrifice everything to keep him safe, and now here was the boy, traumatized because he had dropped Ben and had to live on believing he was dead. If the others had tried to jump in and help, maybe none of this would have happened, he'd still be that scared little boy from before, but at least Darius wouldn't have to live in regret as he had now. 

"-en… Ben? Ben! Hey, Ben… you okay?"

"W-what? Oh uh- y-yeah just…  lost in thought again…."

Darius gave the boy a sympathetic smile before finally gaining the courage to take the lead. This time, Darius was the one to hold Ben's hand and guide him down the path. Ben would've protested, but he hadn't had the heart to change the boy's mind, especially when it suddenly became dark. Being dragged out and towards what he could only believe the sound to be the beachside, Ben had finally realized that Darius was simply taking them back towards the docks, possibly hoping they had returned during their departure. 

Ben and Darius both parted hands as they walked towards the gates for the dock. Darius instantly opened the gate and kept it open for Ben, while Ben just stood there and watched Darius go. He hadn't the heart to tell the hopeful kid that they were never coming back, so he simply just let the boy go on, unwilling to break his spirit anymore today than it has already. 

"... Maybe they left to get away from the Scorpios's… they'll be back… " Sprinting now, Ben couldn't help the sudden sigh escaping his lips. If he couldn't tell the boy outright, then he might as well let Darius find out on his own. 

"Yeah… "

And so, there they sat, right on the dock, both watching peacefully as the sun began to set on the horizon. Beautiful arrays of orange and red streams danced across the falling sky. It was beautiful, especially with the stars transparently dancing across the skyline. Ben wouldn't have enjoyed this view in any other circumstances, but right now, it hardly felt any different than any other deadly day. 

"Darius." Ben started. 

"Yeah?... " Darius glances briefly at the boy beside him. 

"... You matter." 

Darius, baffled at the sudden words, flinched in confusion. Still, once his whole demeanor changed, he gave the loving boy beside him a genuine smile, scooting just a smidgen closer before leaning entirely against Ben, resting his head against his shoulder. 

"Thanks… Ben."

"....Yeah…"

Chapter Text

Hey everyone! So.... I see this story has gotten a lot of support and have decided that I shall continue it!!

My main reason as to why I hadn't done anything to it yet was due to me waiting for the series to finish as I'd like to incorporate everything into my version, but In a different aspect and viewing point!

To those who hasn't seen the 5th season, then I'd advise you do for once this story continues, it will have major plot point upon the instances that take place within the final season!

Thank you all for the support, I'm Overly excited to continue this!

I promise for whatever chapter I make next it won't disappoint! I'll make sure to make it Overly long and enjoyable to read! Something to waste your time on and hopefully something you won't regret wasting your time on :'}

As always stay tuned for more!

Catch you on the flip side! 💖

Chapter Text

Omg guys I am so so SOSOSOSOSOSOS SO!!! SORRYYYYY!!! 😭

I'm being genuine here. I've been lackin' as an author for real huh? 

Damn... It's been tough guys, I've been losing motivation and it's more than just the usual sudden disinterest. 

To be honest. I really do miss it, being able to write my thoughts without a care in the world, I mean come on... We all have our own dirty pleasures and ideals... But you see... It's hard for me to Invision myself to write again because of how much I've grown. 

I'm on my third year of college now!! Exciting! Just turned 21 in April so yippie!! 🎉🥳

And... I also got a boyfriend, and as of three days ago, it's been a steady thre months! 

And... If you may be wondering what other issues may lie as to why I haven't written? Well... Now that I'm with someone, j simply just don't think about it anymore. I mean, yeah I'll admit, I've read some preeeetty questionable things (listen y'all, we all go through that faze of wanting to date a thick boneheaded skeleton from a video here before 😭 I can't be the only one), but now that I'm not really lonely anymore, it genuinely hadn't even been a though anymore, like now I feel uncomfortable reading that stuff, and looking at all the stuff I read 😅

I suppose, I'm just afraid to get back into writing fan fiction because I don't want to make my boyfriend feel disgusted by my past interests... 

So here's the shtick!!! 

As of now, I will ltry my best to make this break officially be over!! 

I'm going to confess my sins to my boyfriend and no longer feel grossed out with myself 😤

And once I feel confident enough!! I shall write once more!!! 

Another note: if I do rewrite this story, would you like me to rewrite it? (My writing style has changed significantly thanks to college, so the weird shift in writing is what I'm worried about lol) or would you rather me just continue from here and move forward? 

I had so many good plans for this y'all, seriously!!! And with the new series out (haven't watched it yet since im forcing my boyfriend to watch camp Cretaceous first (HÆheaAhÆha 👹) but when I continue, I plan to have it all correlate. I still got my notes from all those years ago!!! I just gotta refresh my memory and stuff first! 

Don't get all excited by the way, this may take a while, but!! I promise that the next chapter shall be the LONGESSSSST!!! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و

Any who, that's my tragic life story, sorry for putting y'all through that 🥲

If you guys got any questions let me know! 

OH OH!!! And if y'all have suggestions or like- wanna tell me about your PC's... Who knows... Maybe I might just add them 👀

Bye for now!!! 

And thank you again for supporting me after all this time! I truly mean it!! 😭💖