Chapter Text
The first time Kenji Kon ever laid eyes upon Benjamin Pincus was during his annual visit to JURASSIC WORLD. The trip had followed the same dried and tried routine it did every year, the only difference this time being his change in status from CEO in training to official CEO of Manta Corp. He’d taken a private plane from L.A. to Costa Rica and from there flown via helicopter to the islands docs where Simon Masrani would be awaiting his arrival with kind eyes and a patient smile. The following three weeks would entail the same pre-established patterns of sitting through mandatory reports on the park's overall functionality; from expenses to gains, animal control, and their living conditions, to genetic advancements and research.
For three weeks of his life, Kenji would be expected to sit through one board meeting to another and play the role of judge, jury, and executioner alongside Simon Masrani, all for the goal of maintaining the park open and operational. And through all the tiresome tasks Masrani always made sure that Kenji too would take the time to visit every single attraction in existence within the park and view the progress of those that were still on the drawing board or near completion, because as the man liked to say:
“What's the point of creating the impossible, if you can't admire it?”
So it was with a weary heart and tired sigh, that Kenji allowed himself to be chaperoned once again around the island, by the man who had seen him grow up into the adult he was today.
Kenji had been half-listening to Mr. Masrani while the man escorted him to the genetics floor inside the Creations Lab. The man had been retelling another anecdote about his youth, mindlessly rambling away about a turf war that occurred between his fraternity and another one while he attended university, and pie, an excessive amount of pie had been involved. They had been making their way around a curved corridor with a large panoramic window that offered those passing through a clear view of the hatchling lab.
Modern incubators with nests of dinosaur eggs laid scattered inside, monitors took up an entire wall, their screens displaying live data of each individual egg's progression. Men and women dressed sharply in pristine white coats with ID badges clipped to their front pockets mingled inside, some stood near the monitors checking the data displayed while others worked on fine-tuning the heating settings of incubators. Overall, it was an unassuming sight, nothing Kenji had never seen before nor merited a second more of his attention, yet one quick side glance into the room from Masrani had the man doubling back and rushing both himself and Kenji into the room.
Their rushed entrance had garnered some surprised looks from the scientists working the floor, but Mr. Masrani paid them no mind, opting instead to offer the staff a kind smile and passing wave of his hand, never stopping in his path. He’d drawn himself uncomfortably close to Kenji, and proceeded to pull him to his height by hooking his arm over the taller man's shoulders, all in an effort to hurriedly whisper in his ear:
“Ah, perfect timing! I’ve been meaning to introduce you to our newest recruit.”
Kenji had been baffled by the older man's behavior but had not been given the time to properly process what had been implied before he’d been pulled to a stop near a hatchling corral stationed at the back of the room. It was a tiny thing, octagonal in shape with see-through netted walls made out of plastic and a generous amount of hay as floor.
A young man crouched inside.
Unlike the rest of the staff inside the lab, who were all dressed according to their environment, the boy wore combat boots, khaki pants, and a rust-orange henley with the park's logo embroidered on one side; the contrast between the white surrounding them and the vividity of his outfit was jarring. He was broad-shouldered and had loose waves of bronze hair that curled slightly at the edges. Though his head was tilted downward, hiding his eyes from Kenji's quick inspection, Kenji could tell his gaze was unwaveringly focused on the freshly hatched ankylosauruses hobbling around on unsteady feet.
The kid could not have possibly been more than 22 years old.
But despite his obvious youth, he doted on the little ones, from gently spoken encouragement to soft pats with the tips of his fingers on the still-hardening plates on the hatchling's backs. It was a cute sight to watch, but it still didn't explain Masranis’ poorly hidden excitement.
“Benjamin, my boy,” Masrani said, finally coming to a stop at the boy’s side.
Kenji stayed a few steps back, had he fully followed Masrani, it would have seemed as if they were cornering the kid, and judging by the way his shoulders tensed at being startled by hearing his name, it seemed Kenji had made the right call in offering space.
“Benjamin,” Masrani called once more, his tone a little softer now, in an attempt to draw the young man’s attention. This time, Ben’s gaze lifted, and in a matter of seconds, Kenji found himself caught by the largest set of frosted baby blues he had ever seen in his life.
The kids' eyes were striking, big and round, and full of wonder, with a full set of dark lashes, and a pair of pouting lips. At seeing the other's attention finally being directed where he wanted it to be, Masrani continued with his introductions.
“Kenji, my boy, this is Benjamin Pincus. Ben, meet Kenji Kon.”
Ben’s lips curled into a small, bashful smile, a single dimple appearing with the stretch.
With a little effort, he stood up, and Kenji heard the unmistakable crack of his knees and back as he straightened. The sound was loud enough to startle the nearby scientists, and Ben winced, awkwardly rubbing his back and offering a quick, apologetic glance in their direction.
“Mr. Masrani, hi, sorry, I was a bit distracted.”
The kid—Ben, Kenji mentally corrected—ran a hand shyly through his hair, tousling it in the process. His gaze shifted to Kenji, and once again, Kenji was struck by the brilliance of his eyes.
”Is it ok if I use your first name, or would you prefer to go by Mr. Kon?”
The question, innocent and thoughtful, would’ve seemed perfectly normal if directed at anyone else—but this was Kenji. And he found himself thrown off. How was it possible that a JURASSIC WORLD employee, of all people, didn’t know who Kenji was? Much less the weight his very surname carried?
Masrani, sensing Kenji’s confusion, barely suppressed a knowing smile. Ben’s smile began to fade as Kenji hesitated, uncertainty creeping into his bright eyes. That was something Kenji wasn’t prepared to see.
“Kenji. Kenji is fine. Mr. Pincus... Or may I call you Ben?”
“Ben.”
The sparkle returned to Ben’s eyes, and Kenji couldn’t help but feel irrationally pleased to see it. A sharp clap of hands broke Kenji’s focus, drawing his attention back to Masrani. The man stood with his hands clasped in front of his chest, a knowing smile lighting up his face.
“Mr. Kon, as I mentioned earlier, Ben is our newest recruit. He’s mentoring under Owen Grady—a star in the making.” Ben, clearly embarrassed, rubbed the back of his neck, and ducked his head, hiding the flush that was starting to spread.
“Mr. Masrani, that’s too much. I’m just a summer intern.” Masrani had scoffed in clear disapproval and waved a hand dismissively.
“Just an intern? Nonsense! Owen Grady handpicked you himself. That doesn’t happen every day.” Ben’s face had somehow turned a deeper shade of red.
“I mean, yeah, but that’s just because of my mom.”
Amused, Kenji, for the first time on that year's trip, found himself amused, and it was at the expense of Ben's flustered reactions at receiving praise. He couldn’t help but notice that there was a slight accent thickening his words, it was oddly charming, and being handpicked by Owen Grady, the raptor wrangler himself? That was something that made Ben…interesting.
“Wait, wait, wait. Grady personally picked you? What exactly do you do?” Ben blinked at him, a little hesitant, before answering.
“I help with the baby raptors and other hatchlings. I’m in charge of monitoring their behavior, recording their development, assisting with feeding and socialization— you know, getting them used to people early on, helping them adapt to their new surroundings.” Kenji raised a brow.
“So, what, you’re like a prehistoric babysitter?”
Ben let out a breathy laugh. “A babysitter? I never really thought of it like that, but I guess? Though Owen says if I get enough experience here, I might get to assist at the main raptor paddock soon.”
Kenji smirked at the kid’s obvious excitement at the promise of working with what the whole of Jurassic Park had dubbed, the Raptor Squad. Seeing how open Ben was with his expression, Kenji found himself needing to tease further.
“Ah, so you’re working your way up the dinosaur daycare ladder?” Ben huffed, his cheeks puffing in slight irritation, but there was a light in his eyes. “I guess.”