Chapter Text
Brooklynn is so glad that her drone alert system worked. Knowing that Kenji and his dad are back on the island is very helpful in their plans. Too bad the idea of potentially running into said teen makes her uncomfortable.
To be quite honest, she’s not sure how she’s supposed to feel.
On the one hand, she and him are as thick as thieves. Though, she’s sure everyone else here can say that as well. Still, she and him were hanging out a lot more as of late, so his turnabout certainly cut her deep. That said, she’s convinced that his dad is the mastermind behind everything, and that Kenji is simply going along with everything to please him. Unfortunate, but understandable.
On the other hand, the guy literally locked them in a cell and yelled at them for doing things he would have tagged along with not days before. They caught him controlling Toro. Heck, not soon after they came back to the island, they caught Kenji with a chipped Bumpy. Bumpy! His boyfriend's dinosaur!
So yeah. She’s not sure what to think.
That said, seeing him again was like a gut punch of emotions. The big lug was wearing his old outfit again, so it really felt like their Kenji was back, you know?
No matter how on the fence she is, she knows one thing: she missed him a whole freaking lot.
Ben, of course, took it upon himself to tail Kenji and stop whatever it is he’s doing. The whole aura Ben was giving off was insane: it felt both immensely angry and immensely sad. Honestly, looking at the once happy couple so at odds was heartbreaking. She even offered to join him on his quest, but he insisted he’d be fine.
That, and, she and the others need to find the chip blueprint backups before Mr Kon and his goons.
Pros of Brooklynn turning off all the BRAD-Xs: They can’t hunt them down and are now stationary.
Cons of Brooklynn turning off all the BRAD-Xs: the blueprints are hidden in one of them and now they have to go to each one and search.
Still, them being imoble and their locations being available to her via tablet means they know exactly where they are and can do this more methodically. So, all in all, not a bad situation.
Despite the urgency of their mission, there is something else that catches Brooklynn’s attention: Sammy and Yaz are trying to be less lovey-dovey around her and Darius for some reason.
She caught the pair of them kissing while they wait for her and Darius to finish with Kash’s computer and immediately pulled apart sheepishly when they realized she was there. Later, they held hands very briefly, only to once again pull apart when she or Darius made themselves known.
It’s kind of adorable, actually. Also, futile. Between her and Darius, there isn’t a secret either of them don’t know.
“Do you think we should tell them?” Brooklynn asks her boyfriend as they search for more BRAD-Xs. In front of them are Yaz and Sammy, laughing to themselves while keeping a certain amount of distance between them.
“Nah. Let them think they’re doing well. If they start getting over the top with it, then we should intervene.” He laughs.
“If you say so.” She smiles. “Can’t imagine why they’re trying to tone it down or whatever.”
“Right? They’re in love. They should show it.” Darius agrees.
“Like us. Think we should go over the top and make them quit it?” Brooklynn muses absentmindedly.
Her eyes shoot wide open upon realizing what she just said. She immediately looks at Darius, whose cheeks have darkened and his mouth pulled into a tight line.
“I didn’t mean we- I- I just meant, we are also going out so-”
“No, no. I know what you meant.”
“And it’s not that I don’t lo- like- You know…” She tapers off. Normally, she always knows what to say. Right now, however, she finds that she can’t seem to shut up and dig herself into a deeper hole.
“Right, right. It’s just kind of… early… for that.” Darius finishes. She sighs in relief, glad that the other is on the same page as her.
They walk in silence for a while, looking way more subtle than either of the girls in front of them.
When Darius finally speaks again, it’s in a whisper.
“So did you wanna do that whole ‘over the top flirting’ thing?” He asks shyly.
Brooklynn barely contains her laughter.
“Heck yeah.”
---
Oh my god.
Yaz and Sammy have developed a code language so they can flirt in ‘secret.’ At first, it worked. Brooklynn just thought they were clicking and saying strange phrases, but after doing it often enough, it became clear what was going on.
She and Darius share a look, one that conveys exactly what they need from the other. This is something that they’ve been able to do for a while now, the pair of them on the same wavelength more times than not.
Right now, the look she gives him, which he returns, says they need to up their own pda right now.
You know. To make Yaz and Sammy see it isn’t necessary to be ‘subtle.’ And for no other reason.
Luckily, they’re currently searching the arctic biome, so the script writes itself.
“Oh, babe.” Brooklynn lays it on thick, the emphasis on that never-before-used term of endearment out of place, even to her. “I’m so cold! Hold me?”
“Of course, darling.” Darius says, just as stiffly. They embrace rigidly, making sure Yaz and Sammy can see exactly what they’re doing. Even though this is supposed to be just for show, having Darius hold her in this frozen place does make her feel better. His warmth added to her own makes this place a little more bearable.
The others don’t react very much. If anything, Sammy kind of wryly smiles at them while Yaz is simply disinterested.
Well, then.
Brooklynn locks eyes with Darius again, and another unspoken conversation passes between them. They need to dial it up a notch.
They do actually look around for the BRADs, though they end up not finding the usb in any of the ones here. As soon as they check the final one, and still find nothing, Brooklynn sets her impromptu plan back into motion.
“Oh, Darius!” She exclaims, like a maiden of old. Or a bird. The sound wasn’t exactly dignified. “I don’t think I can stand this cold any longer!”
“Worry not, my dear. I’ll carry you to safety!” The other replies without missing a beat. She smiles, ready to jump on his back and get a piggy back ride out of there.
Instead of a piggyback ride, however, Darius sweeps her off her feet and carries her bridal style.
Her face was already red from the cold, but she’s sure she’s redder than she’s ever been. He smiles down at her, looking very much like her knight in shining armor that’s here to save the day.
Oh, wow.
This lasts all of five seconds before Darius’ body realizes what he’s doing and his arms and knees give out. The pair of them end up in the freezing snow.
The cackle of laughter from both Sammy and Yaz rings out loud and clear even through the strong winds that are howling in their ears. Brooklynn considers staying right where she is and freezing to death. Darius, unmoving next to her, seems to share the sentiment.
“Okay, Romeo and Juliet. We need to check the other biomes now. C’mon.” Sammy says after regaining her composure. Yaz continues to laugh, and doesn’t stop until the door to the biome slams shut behind them.
Brooklynn and Darius share one last look, one that says their plan probably wasn’t the best.
“So, “ Yaz starts, her voice hoarse from her incessant laughing. “You guys gonna explain what that was, or…?”
“We…” Brooklynn isn’t sure she wants to explain, lest the other two start laughing again.
“We noticed you guys trying to be subtle around us for some reason.” Darius provides. “We just thought that if we acted exaggeratedly obvious-”
“You guys wouldn’t feel the need to be so reserved.” Brooklynn finishes for him.
“Who said we’re being subtle?” Sammy asks.
“I-” Brooklynn stammers. “You guys made a secret language! And every time we caught you guys doing stuff, you guys pull apart!”
“Yeah, cuz having your friends see you kiss and flirt is a little awkward. But then, I guess that kind of shame isn’t something we share, huh?” Yaz says smugly, very much trying to get a rise out of Brooklynn.
It would have worked, under normal circumstances, but since she hit the nail squarely on the head, there’s nothing the girl can say.
“Oh stop teasin’ em.” Sammy tuts. “I think it’s sweet they did this to make us feel more at ease.” The Texan turns towards her girlfriend. “And you could stand to sweep me off my feet once in a while, you know.”
“I- You- but-” Yaz stammers. Sammy starts laughing at the other girl’s reaction, Brooklynn and Darius joining her. “Ha ha.” Yaz deadpans.”
“I’m just kidding, sweetie. You’re plenty romantic.” Sammy plants a big kiss on the other’s cheek and she lights up like a christmas tree. Sammy, a serial hugger, grabs them as well and pulls them into a hug with her and Yaz.
“Oh, now this is a hug. So nice and warm.” She sighs. And yeah, it does feel nice having three other people to warm you up. After a moment of them just enjoying the hear the others bring, Sammy speaks up again. “You know, we’re so happy that the two of you finally got together.”
Okay, Brooklynn is seriously considering going back in there now…
“So if you ever want to flirt or be all coupley, don’t mind us. We won’t pay you no mind.”
“Yeah, seeing you guys being happy is kind of a nice contrast compared to the other trash happening right now.”
That… is really nice to hear, actually. Brooklynn is sure of it, but if the situations were reversed, she’s sure she’d say something similar to that as well. Darius next to her smiles and hugs even harder, pulling a laugh from Sammy in the process.
“Okay. Just, no more surprise carrying, okay?” She tells her boyfriend directly.
“No promises.” He teases. Brooklynn plants one on his cheek, much like Sammy did to Yaz a minute ago.
Despite how much they need to hurry, they take another minute to just relax into the group hug before they move on.
---
So… today certainly was stressful- and it’s not even over yet.
They finally found the usb with the blueprints in the desert, but were soon accosted by the spinosaurus. Which, it turns out, got chipped by Hawkes. Great. They end up dropping the stupid drive, but the fact remains that the computer is most likely still locked.
Just all the more reason they can not get captured. If Mr Kon gets the password from her, it’s over.
Darius shuffles them into the forest biome, where they can hole up and make their last stand. At his insistence, they make sure the only entrance that works is the one near Mae’s hideout. Ben needs a way in afterall, though, how the other teen is supposed to know which door to take is still a mystery.
It’s been a rollercoaster kind of day. Pretty standard for them, really.
Not too soon meeting at the only open airlock, Ben finally joins them- though he’s not alone. He rides in on Bumpy, much like how he would back on Nublar. They all cheered and laughed when they saw him, the guy smiling brightly.
And, surprisingly, Kenji is with him. The taller teen walks in, looking very sheepish.
Brooklynn almost runs over and… well, she’s not sure. She isn’t sure if she’d slap him or hug him, but both options cross her mind the second she saw his stupid face again. Judging from the fact that Ben isn’t at all cross or avoiding Kenji, she figures they made up in the time they’ve been away from the group.
Honestly, she’s happy for them. She really is.
It’s just that Darius, standing next to her, looks like he’s about to murder someone- that someone being none other than Kenji.
Well. This should be interesting.