Work Text:
“The kids are getting suspicious…”
“Relax Hap, we have a plan…”
In recent times, the one thing on Ben’s mind was ensuring his and Bumpy’s survival. With the sudden re-emergence of humans, especially poachers, Ben was reminded that there was a world beyond this island. The mention of kids & a plan to deal with them also set off alarms in Ben’s mind, thinking of the group of campers he tried escaping this island with—kids he considered his friends.
He treasured his time with all of them, but one stood out above the rest—Kenji. He and Kenji started off on the wrong foot. Kenji was an arrogant ass while his old self was a wimpy germaphobe. As much as Kenji was overcompensating for his own insecurities, he always pulled through for Ben during their short time together. Sometimes, he wondered if Kenji understood how deeply his actions impacted Ben, if he ever looked back and thought of Ben as fondly as he did of Kenji. Even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t change how Ben felt.
The first time Ben got to see that side of Kenji was back at camp. Darius was telling his scary story, and Ben was genuinely afraid. His cowardly self clung onto Kenji for protection, and despite his alleged annoyance at him, Kenji never pushed Ben away, allowing Ben to confide in him.
The same pattern continued on during their time together. Despite Kenji’s facade of arrogance, he always protected Ben from danger—all the way up to when they got separated at the monorails due to the pterosaurs when Ben fell to his near death. It was those actions that had helped push Ben to persevere through all the hardships he had dealt with by himself.
Now, it was Ben’s turn to protect Kenji and the rest of his friends.
The mission required stealth, so Ben had Bumpy stay back while he did some reconnaissance to get an idea of the situation. He kept a reasonable distance from the poachers and followed them all the way to their camp. During the entire walk, the trio argued about what they were going to do to the children. Just hearing the ideas out loud filled Ben with a surge of protectiveness and a thirst for vengeance. By the time they reached the camp, the adults changed the topic, reverting back to the friendly facade of welcoming adults—at least the couple was—to not arouse any suspicion from the children.
He knew what to expect, but seeing them with his own eyes, and hearing their voices with his own ears, filled Ben with a strong sense of yearning. He took a moment to drink in their faces & voices, but when his eyes finally landed on Kenji, his heart clenched. He was so familiar, yet so different. The blue sweater was all the same, but everything else felt new. Kenji had grown a small stubble, which admittedly Ben didn’t like all that much, but his way of carrying himself contained less braggart, and more level-headedness. It was good to see, and as much as Ben needed to grow on his own, he wished he was able to witness Kenji’s growth himself.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to break out of the thicket, reunite with his friends, announce, “I’m alive!,” and show them how much he’s changed, but he needed to bide his time for his friends’ safety. He watched as Darius, Sammy, and Yaz went off with the couple to go search for dinosaurs, leaving Brooklynn & Kenji with the loner Hap.
It was clear Brooklynn was already suspicious of them, with her making numerous attempts to sneak away and investigate. One attempt was more successful than the rest, and she & Kenji had almost gotten away with it but inevitably got caught.
The pair dashed into the forest with Hap on their trail, and that’s when Ben had decided to make a move. He quickly dashed back to where he had Bumpy stay behind, and headed toward where Brooklynn and Kenji had run off too. Being familiar with these woods by now, Ben had no problem catching up to them.
Brooklynn & Kenji were cornered by Hap by the time Ben had caught up to them. Despite the dire situation, there was still a curl of hesitation pitting in his stomach. He knew that after this, there’d be no going back. As much as he missed Kenji and the others, there was also a part of him that had gotten accustomed to being on his own. It would take time for him, and them, to adjust to each other’s presence again.
His decision wasn’t a hard one to make and he struck Hap, rendering him unconscious, the moment he found an opening.
Ben heard the sound of Brooklynn’s gasp and Kenji repeatedly say, “how?” softly in disbelief, almost as if he was afraid of saying his name out loud.
That familiar clench from right before he had struck Hap had come back at full force. He had no hesitation striking down Hap, but finding the strength to look up and see the faces of his friends was another story. Taking a deep breath, he put one hand on Bumpy for comfort, then gathered the courage to look up at them and put on a show of bravado.
Except when he saw the looks of anguish on his friends’ faces, all he could let out was a short, “hey.”
Before he could say anything else, he felt Kenji’s arms tightly embrace him, as if afraid that Ben would disappear should he ever let go. Any doubts he had of reuniting with his friends immediately vanished, and Ben melted into the embrace, reciprocating it with the same candor. The two eventually parted, and Brooklynn wasted no time wrapping him up in her own embrace—one which Ben also returned with the same fervor. Even if what he felt for Kenji was different, he missed all of his friends the same.
After the two parted, Brooklynn & Kenji both took a moment to take in the sight of Ben, still in disbelief, while Ben did the same. As he scanned Kenji, he looked down and froze when he saw a familiar fanny pack wrapped around his waist.
“Kenj, is that…?” Ben started, in disbelief.
“H-huh?” Kenji asked, confused. He followed where Ben’s eyes were looking, and immediately understood what the other was referring to. “Oh this old thing? I kept your dork pouch safe for you. Didn’t feel right to leave it behind.” He said, scratching the bag of his head trying to act nonchalant.
Brooklynn snorted at Kenji’s response while Ben’s insides fluttered. The fact that Kenji had him on the back of his mind filled him with warmth, and even if he couldn’t admit it to himself, hope. Perhaps Kenji felt the same way about him as he did.
However, when he heard the sound of Hap groaning in pain, regaining consciousness, Ben understood that now wasn’t the right time to sort out those thoughts. For now, there were more important things at hand.
Kenji wondered if he could ever redeem himself in the eyes of his friends. When he first saw his dad, the happiness he felt was incomparable. Ever since he was young, his dad was his idol. He always aspired to be a man that would make him proud so that they could walk side by side. With all that he and his friends have gone through just to survive, he thought that he’d finally matured enough to be that kind of man.
So when his dad offered him a once in a lifetime opportunity to do just that and work hand in hand together, he took it without hesitation. He just never considered that his friends wouldn’t put his father on the same pedestal. In fact, despite everything that they’ve all gone through together, he even turned his backs on them—siding with his father and dismissing his friends. He let his love & admiration for his dad overpower the stinging gazes of anger & contempt from his friends, especially Ben.
At first he truly did believe in his dad and thought that his friends were being paranoid. He believed that the work that his dad was doing was for the greater good. It wasn’t until they started using Mantah Corp technology to control the dinosaurs and strip them of their autonomy that the seeds of doubt were planted. Initially, he was able to brush it off when it was violent dinosaurs like Toro. He convinced himself that keeping violent carnivores like him under control was a good thing, but then his dad started targeting all the dinosaurs—including Bumpy.
It was then that he truly understood the gravity of the situation. Some of his dad’s more sinister quirks that Kenji turned a blind side to for the “sake of business” were unavoidable now. The horror of what he’d gotten himself into had fully sunk in, and he had no idea of how to get out of the hole he dug himself into. He tried to get his dad to at least turn a blind eye to Bumpy but to no avail. He thought of his friends, but then remembered the looks of betrayal he’d gotten from all of them. He was all alone. Prior, he knew he was becoming a better man. Despite his rough start with his friends, they all eventually came around to love and respect him as he developed into a more responsible man. Now he’d thrown it all away.
Yet here he was controlling Bumpy, disgusted with himself yet unable to act otherwise with his dad’s twin bodyguards keeping him at gunpoint. He looked at Bumpy’s blank face, and thought of Ben.
How could I do this?
His opportunity for redemption came when his dad entrusted him to be in charge of both Toro & Bumpy. His dad had other business to attend to, leaving him to only worry about the twins. Even if his friends never forgave him, he would do right by them.
Kenji made his way back through the forest to where the dinosaurs were when he spotted a familiar head peaking out through the thicket. His body tensed up, dreading his next action. Nonetheless, he swallowed his pride and mustered up the courage to approach Ben, knowing it had to be done.
“So what’s the plan?” Kenji whispered, startling Ben.
Ben turned around toward the sound of his voice. Once he saw who it was, the shock on his face turned into rage & betrayal, and he immediately pounced on Kenji, pinning him to the ground. His back was aching in pain, but Kenji didn’t put up a fight, knowing he deserved it.
“You jerk, how could you let your dad mind control Bumpy?” Ben said, raising his voice in anger. Ben never spoke to Kenji this way, and it hurt.
“I swear I tried Ben, I swear,” Kenji groveled. He knew it was a fruitless attempt at an excuse, but he had no better reason for his actions.
Ben yanked him up with a strength that Kenji didn’t know he had. “And why should I believe you?” He narrowed his eyes at Kenji, glaring, with nothing but distrust in his eyes.
“I… I don’t know, I don’t know,” Kenji whispered, repeating it in despair. He didn’t know what else to say. He’d gone beyond the line of forgiveness, and his friends had no reason to trust him at all.
The anger in Ben’s eyes dulled, turning into exhaustion, and after a weary sigh, the tight grip that kept Kenji upright suddenly let go and Kenji found himself back on the ground. Kenji looked up to see that Ben was once again peering through the thicket.
Kenji slowly pulled himself up, still aching, and made his way slowly back toward Ben, who was staring at Bumpy. Ben glanced over his shoulder once he heard Kenji heading in his direction, and gave him a worn out look
“Ben, I know I messed up, and I don’t know if I can ever fix it. You don’t have to forgive me nor the sins I’ve made, but I am sorry,” Kenji said, letting himself be vulnerable.
There were hints that Ben’s jaded exterior was starting to crack, and a small trace of that familiar warmth that Kenji had always associated with him. “Look Kenji, I want to believe you, but…” Ben drifted off, turning back toward Bumpy longingly.
It was slight, but Ben had given him the smallest of openings toward his path of atonement. It was already a lot more than Kenji thought he deserved. Kenji smothered any self-resentment he had and ignited himself with determination. He straightened out his posture, and put a determined hand on Ben’s shoulder in comfort.
Ben gripped the hand back out of reflex, but then flinched and pulled away when he remembered the situation. Kenji didn’t let it dishearten him.
“I’m going to help you get Bumpy back, no matter what. Even if it’s the last thing I do.”
There was still doubt in his eyes, but Kenji saw the faintest trace of hope.
Even if it cost him his life, Kenji was going to get Bumpy back for Ben. Despite all his wrongdoings, there was still a part of Ben that was ready to forgive Kenji. Since the beginning, Ben had always seen something within him that was worth something. For that, Kenji would go above & beyond to prove to Ben right—that Ben wasn’t wasting his time believing in someone like him. Kenji was a good man worth respect, and it was time he acted like one.
First Ben, then the rest of his camp family.
There was something wrong with Kenji, and Ben didn’t know what to do. At first, when he, Sammy & Yaz had reunited with Darius & Kenji, Ben was ecstatic to see them regardless of the life-threatening situation they found themselves in. It seemed that Darius & Kenji had made up, which left Ben feeling relieved.
After being stuck inside of a storage crate in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean however quickly changed that happiness to concern. They frequently had to sneak out on supply runs to replenish their food & drink supply, and Kenji was always the first to volunteer. Each time he got more & more reckless. He understood feeling constrained in such a small container with a group of other young adults, but the others weren’t acting like that. He had also developed an unhealthy fixation on Bumpy’s egg. In any other circumstance, Ben would’ve been delighted, but Kenji was self-destructing. The last time he’d seen Kenji act this brashly was when he was trying to repent for his betrayal on Mantah Corp Island, and even then it was never this bad.
Ben asked Darius about it once when Kenji was off risking his life again for supplies that they still had plenty of, and his friend had mentioned his father getting murdered by the Handler and her atrociraptors. Losing one of his closest friends and his father in such a short time span had taken a massive toll on Kenji.
At the very least, Kenji still occasionally listened to Darius. Despite all the arguments the pair got themselves into, the two were bond brothers. Ben loved Darius, but he was envious of their relationship. Not that he wanted to be Kenji’s brother, but despite everything they’d gone through, it always felt like there was a barrier between the two of them. Ben knew Kenji loved him to some degree the same way he did the other campers, but whenever there was a moment where Kenji was vulnerable in front of Ben, Kenji would brush it off and put on his best face. Ben could count on one hand the few times Kenji allowed himself to be vulnerable in front of him.
Ben’s worries soon came to fruition because as he had feared, Kenji flew too close to the sun and got them all caught. To their fortune, the ship was being run by a skeleton crew, and a few of the dinosaurs broke out due to the storm. Captain Lang was desperate for help that he was willing to collaborate with the five of them to round up the loose dinosaurs.
Ben had hoped that this would help keep Kenji reigned in, but it had only made it worse. The storm had caused a fire to the ship and engulfed the case containing Bumpy’s egg within it, yet Kenji had charged directly into it with no hesitation. While Ben was also worried about the egg, he would never want anybody besides himself to die for its safety.
Kenji was able to save the case from the fire, but his reckless behavior didn’t stop there. After Darius had successfully contained the rampaging Majungasaurus, the case had somehow gotten loose again—this time falling straight into the ocean. To everyone’s horror, Kenji dove straight into the ocean without a second thought.
Ben’s heart dropped, and he felt like time had stopped. All he could think about was Kenji in the middle of the ocean, at night, and in the middle of a storm. There was no way he could survive that. There was already so much going on prior, but the moment Kenji had jumped overboard, everything all seemed so pointless.
All Ben could think about was regret. Kenji was still a young man who had so much to live for. They survived months on a dinosaur infested island on their own, only for Kenji to seemingly die of his own accord—it wasn’t right. Everyone close to him was dying, but that didn’t mean he should’ve died either. Selfishly, Ben didn’t even get to tell Kenji how he truly felt about him and the impact he’s had on his life.
No, he can’t die.
Suddenly fueled with determination, Ben snapped out of his daze, and with Captain Lang and the others’ help, secured a rescue boat and immediately went after Kenji. Miraculously, they were able to spot Kenji in the darkness and rescue him.
Before Kenji was able to say anything, Ben, on the verge of tears, embraced him tightly and raised his voice hysterically, “how could you be so reckless?” He buried his face into the crook of Kenji’s neck, worried as if Kenji would disappear if he let go.
Kenji stiffened up, not expecting Ben’s outburst, but then in an attempt to placate him, said, “Ben, I… it’s no big deal, I just needed to save Bumpy’s egg.” By his tone, Kenji was trying to keep it casual and light-hearted, but that had only exacerbated Ben’s hysteria, who was now fully sobbing in Kenji’s shoulder.
“He’s right Kenji, what you did there was reckless,” Darius agreed, scolding him angrily, on the verge of tears.
“Yeah Kenj, we already lost Brooklynn, we can’t lose you too,” Sammy added in, sobbing as well. Yaz did her best to comfort her girlfriend, but even she was still shaken by Kenji’s actions.
“Guys…” Kenji said softly, realizing what his actions had caused. With the loss of Brooklynn and his father, he’d lost control of himself. If he couldn’t even save Bumpy’s egg, then what good was he? He’d made a promise to both Ben & himself to be the best man that he could be, but in his own haze of misery, he’d failed to see the damage he’d caused to what he still had. His friends around him all seemed to be mourning him as if he’d already died. Having Ben curled around him weeping left him unsettled. He didn’t know what to say. The only thing he was able to let out was an inadequate, “I’m sorry.”
“Please stop trying to get yourself killed,” Ben said, sniffling, “I– we love you, Kenji. Let us help.”
Kenji sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumped. He’d gotten so used to throwing himself into danger without a second thought, but he couldn’t burden his family the way he had been.
Ben had constantly been talking about this Gia woman since the moment they crash landed in Italy. He mentioned her a few times here & there prior, but Kenji paid it no mind. He was allowed to have friends outside of their camp family. Yet now that Ben had realized that they were allegedly near where she lived, he wouldn’t shut up about her. What was so great about her anyway? Kenji made his reservations known, but Ben had just smiled and brushed off his concerns, which only served to irk Kenji even more.
Apparently they had met during one of Ben’s study abroad programs in Europe when he was still an active college student, and they’ve consistently kept in contact since. Ben evidently kept a very high opinion of her, stating that they both had a similar love for dinosaurs and paleontology, which made Kenji scoff. She wasn’t the one stuck on a dinosaur island with Ben.
The car ride to Gia’s home felt endless, especially since half the words out of Ben’s mouth seemed to be “Gia this, Gia that.” Kenji just rolled his eyes for the nth time.
Sammy seemed to giggle at all the stories Ben shared with them. “Well gee Ben, this Gia sure seems like a special lady. Is there something you wanna tell us?”
“Well, I, uh…” Ben stammered, scratching his face nervously as a blush began to form on his face. Kenji grit his teeth, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Sammy & Yaz giggled at his reaction while Darius gave Kenji an amused smirk—for what Kenji didn’t know.
The only thing Kenji did know was that he didn’t like this Gia woman. The whole story sounded too good to be true. For all he knew, it could just be some scammer that knew exactly what to say to get Ben’s guard down. Ben didn’t even have a picture of this woman. Ben was too trusting of others, and it’d only hurt him in the end. Either way, Kenji had to see for himself that this Gia was legitimate, otherwise female or not, Kenji would make sure there’d be hell to pay for messing with Ben.
Eventually a small town appeared within eyesight, and Ben’s mood seemed to brighten up the closer they got. Inversely, Kenji’s mood continued to tank. Nonetheless, he still followed the instructions Ben provided them until they stopped in front of an inconspicuous house.
“Alright I think we should approach this care—” Kenji started, but was cut off by the slamming of the door. Ben didn’t even bother waiting, “—fully…”
After making sure Bumpy’s egg was secure, Kenji and the others quickly trailed after Ben, who had already rung the door. The excitement radiating off of Ben was palpable. The sound of footsteps approached the door, and while Ben was clearly brimming with excitement, the others were more leery. The door opened and the first thing they saw was an elderly Italian woman.
Ben’s excitement seemed to shift toward confusion. Kenji thought he’d feel angrier seeing that Ben was scammed, but instead he felt relief knowing that this Gia woman wasn’t real. Regardless, he still had to come to Ben’s defense, so he shouted, “scammer!” while pointing at the old woman accusingly.
The woman replied back in Italian, a language that none of them spoke, but judging by her tone and body language, she was clearly not happy with them either.
“Nonna, it’s ok. That’s Ben and his friends. He’s the special friend I had that I told you was coming over,” a younger woman’s voice spoke out from behind the old woman.
A moment later, a younger woman around their age stepped out from behind her grandmother to make her appearance known. She was beautiful. She gave them all a quick look of acknowledgment before her eyes landed on Ben and lit up, “Ben.”
“Gia!”
Any relief that Kenji felt suddenly died off again as Ben reciprocated Gia’s excitement as he lifted her up and spun her in a warm embrace. That heavy pitting in his core came back at full force, and his throat constricted at the sight. Kenji should be happy that Gia was real and that Ben was happy, but instead he just felt uncomfortable. He took a quick look over at his other friends, and they all seemed to be just as surprised as he was. Unlike him however, the shock quickly wore off and any apprehensions they had quickly disappeared.
As reluctant as he was to admit it, Gia turned out to be a wonderful person, and Kenji understood why Ben liked her so much. Despite that, the heaviness in his chest did not disappear. Kenji tried to ignore it, but every shared glance, every secret smile that Ben and Gia shared when they thought no one was looking, Kenji saw.
Kenji didn’t want his mood to bring down the atmosphere for the rest of them, so he focused all his attention toward tending to Bumpy’s egg. He had a feeling that it was going to hatch soon, and he didn’t want it to hatch with no one there to greet it into the world. Darius knew that something was going on with Kenji, and insisted that he leave the egg alone for a while and spend some time with everybody else. Kenji was going to say no, but then Darius said, “Ben’s been worried about you,” and Kenji folded.
Lunch was an awkward affair. The mention of dinosaurs had been taboo due to Nonna’s superstitions toward the theropods, but Nonna also seemed to have keened in on Kenji’s poor mental state and hovered around him. Kenji had to admit that it felt nice to be doted on again after so long, and it was a good distraction as to whatever was going on between Ben & Gia.
Darius pulled Kenji out shortly after lunch, clearly worried that Kenji was going to start spiraling again. With Gia’s car, Darius had offered to get food for dinner with Kenji as a means of getting him out of the house.
“Dude. What’s going on?” Darius asked as he drove through the snow, “you’ve been acting strange since we got here. Both Gia & Nonna noticed and they’ve barely known us a day.”
If Kenji was honest with himself, he couldn’t figure out his behavior either. He’d always been worried about Bumpy’s egg, especially now more than ever. Brooklynn and the Broker had gone through a lot of effort to obtain it, and Kenji’s been extra diligent since. However, ever since Gia entered the picture, Kenji’s had another off feeling that he couldn’t shake off.
“Bro, it’s nothing. I’m just worried about Bumpy’s egg,” Kenji said, trying to brush it off. He was very worried about the egg, but he knew Darius was referring to something else. “Just takes time getting used to having new people around.”
Darius opted to remain silent. Instead, he stared intently at Kenji, as if trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle before turning his eyes back on the road. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as if he’d solved it.
“Is this about Ben & Gia?” Darius asked, his tone suddenly shifting to amusement, “bro if you paid any attention, you’d know there’s nothing going on there. I mean come on. Ben? A girlfriend?”
Kenji stared at Darius blankly. He knew there was more to his words than Darius said out loud, but he couldn’t figure out what.
“What would it matter if Ben & Gia got together? He should be allowed to be with her if it makes him happy,” Kenji replied. He wanted Ben happy, but the words that came out of his mouth felt wrong. The idea of Ben & Gia together made him uneasy, but it wasn’t clicking in his mind why.
Darius just looked at him with exasperation. “Dude. Even I figured it out, and I’m usually the last one to figure these things out.”
“Then tell me why Darius,” Kenji replied, getting annoyed, “I thought we weren’t keeping any more secrets.”
“It’s not for me to tell. That’s between you and Ben.” Darius matched his gaze, determined to make Kenji figure it out himself. Then, breaking eye contact, he turned his eyes back on the road.
“Darius—”
The conversation was quickly abandoned as a silhouette barreled right past their windshield, causing Darius to slam the breaks. The action caused both of them to lurch forward at the sudden stop. Their hearts were pounding out of their chest and hyperventilating as their brains attempted to process what had just happened.
As Darius attempted to get the car to get going again, the sound of some theropod could be heard outside, slamming against the car to determine if it was potential prey. Kenji scrambled to find a weapon to defend themselves with, but Darius eventually got the car moving and drove off before they could identify the predator.
The moment Darius drove the car back in front of Gia’s house, Kenji made a head start toward the house to warn the others. However, what greeted him at the entrance was the sound of a commotion and a moving pan rolling straight toward. Kenji stopped at the unusual sight to further investigate, but the moment the pan stopped at his feet to reveal what was hiding underneath, his world stopped.
Smoothie.
His eyes filled with tears as he knelt down to look at the baby dinosaur that was growling, looking up at him with adoring eyes. He scooped it up, the dinosaur fitting in the palm of his hands and brought him close, feeling the dinosaur nuzzle up against him. The weight that had been wearing down on him lifted, and he felt like he could breathe properly for the first time since they’d started this new adventure.
Kenji felt Darius put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, seeing his brother teary eyed at the sight of the baby as well, but when he looked ahead toward Ben, he walked forward, knowing that he deserved to hold Bumpy’s child more than any of them.
As he handed him over to Ben, he felt like a proud dad passing his child over to his other parent, and that’s when everything clicked for Kenji. The urge to always prove himself to be the best man for Ben, the unsettling feeling he had when Ben & Gia had gotten too close, the shared glances the rest of his friends made whenever Kenji was visibly bothered by it, and his previous conversation with Darius.
He loved Ben.
Kenji wanted to say it out loud this very moment, but when he looked over at Ben, urging him to give Smoothie his name, he knew it wasn’t the right moment. For now it would have to wait as they had more pressing matters at hand.
Protect Ben.
It’s the only thought that’s been running through Kenji’s mind since he’d been impaled by the stegosaurus’s thagomizer. Ben was slowly dying the longer it took for them to get him treated, and Kenji swore to himself that he’d never let that happen again. He already almost lost Ben once. He hoped that they’d find the treatment facility soon for Ben’s sake. Brooklynn was already beyond his line of sight, with only Sammy & Yaz as their visual guide of which direction to continue toward.
Their problems exacerbated as the forest caught on fire, and the therizinosaurus decided to pursue them. Despite Darius’s help, his body ached from Ben being dead weight, unable to help himself. He didn’t let that deter him as the thought of Ben dying pushed him forward more than his body’s complaints.
They somehow made it safely to the infirmary without further injury, but by the time they got Ben settled in, he’d gotten drastically worse, and Kenji’s concerns continued to spike.
Ben continued to insist that they find Bumpy first. The group decided it was best to split up to get everything done. Brooklynn & Sammy were designated to look for Bumpy—partly to urge them to reconcile, Yaz, against Kenji’s personal wishes, stayed back to comfort Ben, and Darius & Kenji were assigned to look for medical supplies—the only task that placated Kenji enough to leave Ben’s side.
Kenji tore through the infirmary without abandon, determined to find something that would ease Ben’s suffering. He kicked a chair in frustration when he couldn’t find anything, but was relieved when he heard Darius shout that he had found some pain medication and some gauze to dress his wound.
The two wasted no time returning to Ben & Yaz with Smoothie, who seemed to be having a moment. In any other situation, Kenji would’ve given them the privacy, but the man he loved was dying so Kenji barreled in. He, Darius, and Yaz were just about finished redressing the wound when they heard the ground quake from heavy footsteps, followed by the double doors slamming open and a familiar figure charging through.
The group watched the jubilant scene of Bumpy & Smoothie’s reunion, and for a moment Kenji’s worries eased, especially seeing Ben’s mood improve at the sight. Typical to the group’s luck however, the joy quickly dimmed as a sanctuary-wide alarm flared up, indicating that the dinosaurs were being herded up, and that there was a site-wide evacuation.
The gravity of Ben’s injury became the top priority once again as Ben could barely stand himself up, much less hitch a ride with Bumpy. The group once again decided to split up and delegate the tasks, and Kenji refused to part from Ben this time around.
Without Darius to help and Ben’s condition worsening, it was harder than ever for Kenji to lug Ben toward the elevators. Even worse, the pair heard the familiar clicking sounds of the dilophosaurus. Kenji mustered every bit of willpower that he had helping Ben toward the elevator. The elevator was in sight, but the doors slammed open not even a moment later. He saw the familiar shadows of the dinosaurs and Kenji knew that it wouldn’t make it on time.
Kenji thought back on the promise he’d made to Ben & himself all those years back on Isla Nublar. Taking a deep breath, made his resolve. Not even giving Ben a chance to argue, Kenji left Ben against the wall to make the last few steps and grabbed a nearby shock stick on the wall and charged toward the incoming dilophosaurus. It wasn’t a hard decision to make.
Even if it cost him his life, he’d do anything for Ben.
I’m not leaving without Kenji.
Ben fought against the growing delirium that came with the worsening infection. The Hyperloop door kept trying to slam itself shut, and he could hear Brooklynn & Darius through the speaker trying to figure out what was wrong, but Ben refused to move until Kenji arrived.
His mind was getting hazy, but he had to stay alert for Kenji’s sake. Despite everything that he’d gone through in life, the fear he had when Kenji slammed the elevator door while getting pummeled by the dilophosaurs was the worst feeling he’d ever had. He’d rather fall off the monorail again & again over witnessing that sight again.
Ben already loathed himself for getting hit by the thagomizer in the first place. As a result, he inconvenienced all of his friends by slowing them down, and now the man he loved might be dead because of him. Kenji never said it out loud, but Ben knew that Kenji was frustrated with him. Ever since he got injured, there was a roughness in Kenji’s demeanor that wasn’t there before. He continued to wallow in his own misery when miraculously he heard the sound of a door slamming open, and Kenji running through it with the dilophosaurs hot on his tail. Ben didn’t even get a chance to process the entire thing before Kenji ran past him, dragging him through the door, and the Hyperloop finally slamming shut.
Ben looked over at Kenji, panting after running down a flight of stairs, and he couldn’t hold in the tears any longer.
“Kenji, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he apologized over and over, looking down at the ground. He didn’t even have the heart to look at Kenji. “I tried, but I wasn’t strong enough to help. I’m never enough. I–”
“Ben. Shut up,” Kenji interrupted.
Ben looked up and watched as Kenji slowly knelt down to eye level. Kenji raised his arm up, and Ben flinched. Instead of getting smacked however, Kenji cupped Ben’s face in his hand and gave Ben a tender look.
“Ben…” Kenji paused, trying to figure out his next words, “I know we always give you a hard time. A harder time than we should.”
“Because I deserve it,” Ben interrupted, once again looking down.
“No, Ben, because you’re the strongest out of all of us. We all look up to you. Literally. You’re like eight feet tall.”
The little joke Kenji threw in made Ben laugh. He looked back up at Kenji, who was now on the verge of tears as well.
“We haven’t always been able to take care of you, but we can now. Because if you…” Kenji sniffed, choking at even the thought of saying Ben’s death out loud. “Dude. We need you... I need you. And I’ll always be there to take care of you if you let me. Because I love you.”
Despite all the chaos that was going on in his head, it all cleared for a moment. For years Ben had dreamed of the possibility that Kenji returned his feelings. As the years had gone by, his hopes dimmed, yet here he was now. A part of him wondered if he’d just gone septic and was dreaming the whole confession upon the brink of death.
Ben looked back at Kenji and saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes. Mirth bloomed within him, and despite all the pain that he was in, he couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face.
“I love you too. Always have. Since that night Darius told his scary stories at camp,” Ben confessed, sniffling through the tears.
“That far back, huh?” Kenji laughed softly, “I’m sorry it took me this long.”
Kenji proceeded to cup Ben’s chin in his hand, before pulling him in for a gentle kiss. Ben closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of Kenji’s lips against his. He’d been fantasizing about this moment for so long, but none of it compared to the real thing. Even the pain from the thagomizer in his abdomen couldn’t ruin this for him.
In that moment, Ben knew that he’d willingly go through all the suffering again if it would lead him back to Kenji.
“The doctor literally told you to take the blue pill in the morning!” Kenji exclaimed, looking at Ben in exasperation. He had a pill box in his hand, and was pointing at the pills accusingly. “So tell me why is it two in the afternoon, and there’s still a blue pill in today’s container?”
Ben just laughed at him, like he didn’t have a worry in the world, “calm down Kenji, I’m sure missing one pill won’t hurt anybody.”
“Who would’ve thought Kenji would’ve been the nagging one between the two of them,” Yaz asked in amusement as she and the rest of their friends watched the two bickering.
“The Kenji we first met would have a stroke seeing the way he acts now,” Brooklynn added in, “he’s grown up to be quite the man.”
“I totally called it,” Darius chimed in, “Brooklynn, you should’ve seen the way Kenji acted toward Smoothie. This totally makes sense.”
“Well I think they’re the cutest thing!” Sammy said, before looking over at Yaz with an adoring look, “but they’re not as cute as we are.”
Their conversation went unnoticed by Ben & Kenji who were still bickering.
Kenji groaned, “you’re literally acting like they didn’t code you in the hospital!”
“And you’re acting like you’re the one who got coded on,” Ben teased. He didn’t want to stress Kenji out any further, but he loved it when Kenji doted over him. He knew he was lucky to have someone like Kenji looking out for him to this extent.
“I wouldn’t be acting like this if you just—”
Kenji didn’t get to finish his sentence as Ben pulled him in for a kiss, which Kenji reciprocated and deepened on reflex. Except a moment later, Kenji seemed to realize what Ben was trying to pull, and pried himself back.
“Dude!” Kenji exclaimed, “kissing me is not going to get you out of this. You’re so lucky to have me even helping you with all this.”
“The luckiest in the entire world.”