Chapter Text
Ben had fully expected to drift apart from the rest of the Nublar Six once they made it safely back to the mainland.
Sure, Yaz and Sammy were a package deal now; and with Kenji moving in with Darius and dating Brooklynn, they all seemed poised to never run out of reasons to be together. All save for Ben. He hadn’t gained any new family member or romantic partner on the island (his nebulous... whatever it was with Darius notwithstanding), and both Bumpy and Firecracker had been left at the Mantah Corp. facility under the care of Mae.
So no, all Ben had to show for his time at Jurassic World was a desperate need of a medical examination, and a gaping void in his heart where the roaring voices of the dinos had been.
Thus one could imagine his surprise when his phone rang one day, brandishing Darius’ name like a beacon.
“Hello?”
“Hey Ben! You free this Sunday?”
“Er...”
Of course he was free on Sunday. And Saturday. And Friday. And every single day of the week, really. No one at school wanted to hang out with the lanky freak who jumped whenever some dog growled too loudly.
“Ben?”
“Y―yeah! Sunday. Totally. Why?”
“My mom’s holding a barbecue and she wants me to invite some friends over, so I figure, you know, camp fam reunion?”
Try as he might, Ben could not help the warmth blooming in his chest, like ivy leaves breathing life into an abandoned building.
“Deal.”