Chapter Text
"Hey." Ben places his hand on Y/N's knee as the van rolls up Darius' driveway, "We're here, wake up."
Y/N's eyes flutter open and adjust to the darkness outside, the only light being the headlights and the one flickering on Darius' porch.
"You think he's up?" Y/N asks as the two of them climb out of the vehicle.
"Maybe." Ben shrugs, "It's only nine."
"Well," Y/N takes a deep breath as they approach the door, "There's only one way to find out."
He brings his hand up to lightly rap on the door a couple times. The two men stand there in silence, hearing light rustling from the other side of the door.
The handle slowly turns and Y/N's expecting a warm welcome. Instead, he receives a shock prod launching at his face, which he reflexively grabs, stopping it before it can electrocute him or his boyfriend.
"Woah, hey." He chuckles.
"Darius, you're awake." Ben smiles.
"Ben? Y/N?" Darius' jaw drops and he slowly lowers the prod, "I-- what are you guys doing here?"
He looks up at Ben, surveying his tall stature for a moment, "I'm never getting used to this."
"Yeah, me neither." Y/N smirks.
Darius beams and wraps them both in a warm hug, "It's so great to see you."
"How's college?"
"Uhm, well, we're taking a little break right now," Y/N explains quickly, ushering all of them inside.
"Hey, would you look at this place." Ben chuckles awkwardly as they step inside, "This is really-- wow, great stuff, man." He goes around the room shutting off the lights and closing the blinds.
Darius glances at Y/N and confusion but the other man just sighs.
"Uh, thanks..." Darius nods and turns the lights back on, "Look, I know I haven't been in touch with you guys, or, well, anyone lately, but I--"
"I remember the view here's just..." Ben cuts Darius off as he closes more blinds, "Breathtaking."
"It is..." Darius nods slowly, "When it's not the middle of the night."
Y/N settles down on the couch and watches his boyfriend fiddle around with everything in Darius' house.
"You get much rainfall?" Ben mumbles, glancing out one of the windows.
"We've-- we've known each other for a long time," Darius flicks the lights back on and takes a seat on his armchair, "Maybe it's time for you to tell me what you guys are doing here."
"Uh, I kinda wanted to ease into it." Ben explains.
"Yeah, I think that ship might've sailed, hm?" Y/N suggests from his seat.
Ben glances at Darius who just nods, "Right, okay, uhm..."
"Here it goes, try not to... freak out. So, that night, that awful night that..." Ben pauses, his words catching in his throat.
"He's talking about Brooklyn," Y/N explains, "When the Allosaurus--"
"The Allosaurus!" Darius shoots up, "That's what this is about. You're tracking the Allosaurus too."
"What?" Ben's tone shifts in confusion.
"I saw it today." Darius explains, "I'm heading after it in the morning. You guys can come with me!"
"We're gonna need some more supplies..." He wanders off.
"I almost had it," He grumbles, "I was so close. I even called Brooklyn to tell he--"
"Wait, what?" Ben interrupts him, the mood in the room shifts drastically.
"Darius..." Y/N mutters, standing up from the couch.
"Brooklyn is dead..."
Darius pauses for a while, his back to Ben and Y/N.
"I know, of course," He turns to face them, "I know that."
"It's just that... I guess her dads never deactivated her voicemail, so... sometimes I call her. To... hear her voice, to tell her stuff... to say I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault." Ben frowns.
"We all know that isn't true, Ben." Darius looks down, "If I met her that night, like I said I would, then she might--"
"No," Y/N sighs, stepping forward to stand beside Ben, "That's why we're here."
"It wouldn't have mattered," Ben nods, "Brooklyn's death was no accident. It was targeted. That Allosaurus--"
"Is a wild animal, Ben! A mindless killer!" Darius shouts, cutting off Ben's theory.
"When I finally got there, when I saw..."
"It was a random dinosaur attack. Happens way too often these days." He leans up against the counter, crossing his arms in a guarded manner.
"It wasn't random!" Ben argues, "There's too much coincidence!"
"What was Brooklynn even doing there that night? She never told you, did she? And how did she and the Allosaurus end up at the same place at the same time?"
"How did the DPW truck respond so quickly? Why wasn't her phone recovered from the scene?" He rambles.
"Something's off. I've been reading some stuff on Dark Jurassic--"
"Dark Jurassic!?" Darius scoffs, "That website where all those randos share their weird dinosaur conspiracy theories?"
"Darius," Y/N sighs, "Please, just listen. I know it sounds crazy, but I wouldn't have come here if I didn't think this all meant something."
"If you can't trust Ben and the internet people, at least try and trust my better judgment."
"Come look at this," Ben requests, pulling out his laptop and taking a seat.
Y/N and Darius both look over his shoulder as he types hastily.
"I was reading all about Allosaurus migration patterns and looking at leaked crime scene photos. All of a sudden, someone anonymously starts asking me if I was a member of the Nublar Seven."
"I figured it was a goof, but then I started getting DMs, hostile DMs, asking why I was so interested in the night Brooklyn died."
"Look!" He presses enter and opens up his DMs, but there's nothing there.
"What? They're not here. Someone must have deleted them."
"Look, Ben." Darius sighs, "It's been tough on all of us since we got back."
"Darius, he's not--" Y/N starts.
"Don't patronize me, Darius!" Ben slams his laptop on the table, "Something is going on!" He stomps over to the wall and flicks the lights off.
"Why do you keep turning off the lights!?" Darius scoffs.
"Because we're being hunted!" Y/N finally shouts, tired of the back and forth.
"Those messages I got," Ben goes on, "They were threats! Whoever killed Brooklyn is coming after the rest of us, too."
"We're all in danger. We have to find out why, and who's after us, before it's too late."
"How do you know!?" Darius flicks the lights back on, "Where's your proof?"
Y/N wants to say something, but he holds his tongue.
"I... don't have any." Ben sighs.
"So, you show up here, prank call me, then go on and on--"
"What?" Y/N cuts Darius off, "We didn't prank call you. We didn't call at all. We don't have our phones."
The room goes silent and a faint tapping sound can be heard outside the door. The three men all hold their breath, and Darius slowly flicks the lights off with wide eyes.
Y/N and Ben turn around to see what's got Darius so shocked and instantly freeze when they see the silhouette of a raptor outside.
The three of them duck down tot he ground with their backs to the wall. Y/N looks at Darius expectantly.
"Random dinosaur." He shakes his head.
"Why didn't your fence alarm go off?" Ben counters.
"We closed the gate behind--"
"Shhh..." Y/N cups a hand over his boyfriend's mouth.
"If we stay quiet, they'll just move on and--" Darius whispers.
As if right on cue, the raptor leaps through the window, smashing the glass and tearing the blinds, making its way inside.
Darius leaps for his shock prod, snatching it up off the wall and swiftly avoiding the dinos grip. The raptor slams into a bookshelf, which falls on top of it.
Another raptor smashes through the back window, cornering Y/N and Ben by the steps. The creature jumps at them, causing both of them to fall over the railing.
Ben snatches up a wooden chair and smashes it over the raptors head, causing some rather minimal damage.
"Jesus, Ben!" Y/N swiftly grabs the small wooden table and uses it as a shield from the raptor charging at them, the dinosaurs head breaking through the wood.
Darius jumps over the bookcase and tosses Ben the shock prod, which he uses to incapacitate the raptor.
With both dinosaurs down, the three men rush out of the house, falling into a heap on the porch as their rapidly beating hearts begin to calm. The three of them share a nervous glance.
Before any of them can speak, another raptor slowly begins creeping out from behind the trees. The three of them rise to their feet, their heart rates picking right back up.
"Oh, crud." Darius holds his breath.