Benrius Oneshots (Fem Darius)

JWCC: Fear and Comfort

Darius slouched back to the bunks, her hood up and her hands in her pockets. She didn't care much about the rain that poured down, though the rumbling thunder and flashes of lightning did make Darius's heart leap. She was well aware that they were in a tree pretty high off the ground and, therefore, were more likely to be struck by lightning.

Ben was already in his bunk, curled up beneath the covers in a tight ball. The blanket visibly shook, even in the dim light. Every boom of thunder made Ben cry out and whimper like a little kid.

Kenji was in his bunk too, half hanging out of it so that Darius could see his exaggerated eye roll. He rolled himself back into bed and onto his back.

Brooklyn was on her phone, and Sammy and Yaz were already asleep.

Darius climbed into her bunk, on the top like Kenji and Yaz. Only Ben, Brooklynn, and Sammy had chosen a bottom bunk. In her bunk, Darius stayed sitting, looking out the windows at the park spread out below them. This was it; she was fulfilling her dad's dream. The thought was accompanied by a bitter pang in her heart. If only Darius's dad could have been here, too. Darius clutched the raptor tooth necklace her father had given her, one of a set, and dad had been buried in the matching one.

A massive lightning bolt struck the ground in the distance. A few seconds later, it was followed by the loudest crack of thunder that Darius had ever heard. It sounded like a car accident. Darius's heart leapt in her chest as the sound made her jump. The rain began to come down in earnest, sounding like hail against the roof.

Darius was just laughing at herself for being scared when she heard another noise. A sound she recognized from the late nights that her mother spent grieving over the death of her dad. Someone was crying. And Darius didn't think it was Kenji or Brooklynn.

Darius barely thought about it before swinging down from her bunk and trotting over to the one Ben was cowering in. Ben was thoroughly hidden beneath his blankets, not even a hair poking out. Darius placed a hand on the lump that was Ben. 

"Hey, you okay?" She asked in a whisper. Over the rain and thunder, Darius wasn't sure that Ben could even hear her, but she didn't want to talk louder in case she drew Kenji's attention.
Ben whimpered but didn't try to answer.

Darius wasn't sure what to do, but she didn't want to just leave Ben alone when he was obviously scared. She sat down on the edge of Ben's bunk and rubbed small circles on what she thought was Ben's shoulder with her palm.

For the next few minutes, they stayed like that, and the only sounds were rumbling thunder and Ben's whimpering. The boy really had a pair of lungs on him because it sounded like he didn't even pause for breath.

The next wall-shaking boom of thunder surprised both of them.
Darius reflexively clenched her hand into a fist, fingers digging into Ben's shoulder and making Ben yelp.

Slippery as a fish, Ben twisted out of Darius's grip and turned around so that he could throw his arms around her waist. He pressed his hot, tear-stained face to Darius's stomach and let out a long whine of distress. His eyes were squeezed shut.

Darius blinked in surprise, taken aback. She took it in stride, adjusting Ben's blanket so that it was tucked up to his chin. She rubbed circles on Ben's back. "It's not that bad. Just a little storm."

Lightning lit up the room, and the thunder growled for a full minute before stopping. The rain drummed on.

Ben said nothing. He clung to Darius as tightly as he had to Kenji's arm earlier that night during Darius's story. The good news was that he was no longer sobbing, only hiccupping now as he settled down. Maybe he had separation anxiety, and the storm made it worse. Some kids were like that.

Darius moved her hand from Ben's shoulder to his hair, stroking the brown locks. Ben's hair was soft and thin and resisted all attempts to be petted in a direction that wasn't forward. Darius didn't really mind staying up for a little while - or all night - because she'd been planning on staying up as late as she could anyway. She wanted to see Jurassic World in all its glory, and Darius wasn't sure when she would ever get to come back. Her family wasn't poor, but the tickets to this park were super expensive, and the price went up with every year and every new dinosaur they added to the park.

Ben's scrunched up face slowly unscrunched as he relaxed. His grip on Darius's waist loosened, though he didn't fully let go. The trembling slowed and then stopped. "Thanks, Darius," Ben mumbled, his voice slurred with exhaustion. It was the first time he had spoken since saying that he didn't want to hear Darius's story. After a few more minutes, Ben began to snore softly.

Darius stayed with him for a while, unsure if moving would wake Ben. And, well, it was kind of nice to have someone here to hug her. Darius missed her mom and Brandon. They were a very tactile family, always giving hugs and back rubs and ruffling Darius's hair. She took the time to study Ben's face in the dark, eyes roaming over his features. Ben had a nice face, Darius decided, and her stomach did a little swoop.

The storm raged on.

Darius didn't remember falling asleep, but when she woke up, Darius was looking at the bunk above her. She'd fallen back onto the mattress with her legs still hanging off the edge of the bed. She blinked awake, rubbing her eyes.

The storm was tapering off, the rain a gentle patter against the roof and the thunder a distant roar. The quietness was probably what woke Darius.

Ben was still wrapped around Darius's middle, his head on Darius's stomach.
Darius carefully extracted herself from Ben's arms and replaced herself with a pillow.
Ben clung to the pillow in her absence and continued to sleep.

Good.

Darius yawned and hauled herself up onto her bunk. The sheets were cool, not warmed by the body heat of two teens. She settled down, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and fell asleep.