Benrius Oneshots (Fem Darius)

Part 3

No one wanted to sit next to Ben at breakfast except for Darius and even Darius couldn't make herself look directly at Ben. That was alright. Although Ben worried that they weren't getting enough protein in their diets, the protein was the reason that no one wanted to eat breakfast with Ben because the way he got his protein was through eating insects and grubs. The others couldn't stomach it. Darius winced every time Ben took a bite of crunchy insects. Not that Ben was eating only insects; he partook in the canned fruit too. It was nice to get some variety in his diet.

"Ben?" Darius asked, nibbling on her sliced fruit to make it last a little longer. "Yeah?" Ben asked, his eyes locking onto Darius and his thoughts being drawn away from Bumpy and to the girl beside him. Darius squirmed. She clutched her raptor tooth necklace, which she only did when she was scared or otherwise upset. She licked the juice off her fingers before reaching for another slice of fruit. 

"You had a camp, right?" Ben considered the question. He supposed that his little nest beside the fallen tree could be called a camp. It was the place he slept every night. "Yes," he said finally. His fruit was still on a flat leaf, untouched. It was better to eat the food that had legs and could escape first. Ben popped a grub into his mouth. The burst of flavor was bitter on his tongue but he was used to it. He chewed twice, then swallowed. "Why do you ask?" Darius met Ben's eyes, a pleading expression in her brown eyes. 

"Can I see it?" 

"Uh..."

The question caught Ben off guard. Ben looked up at the rebuilt Camp Cretaceous. It was much lower to the ground than the original and didn't have electricity or air conditioning or even four walls. But they'd done their best with it and the new Camp Cretaceous put a roof over their heads and provided a place that felt marginally safe and secure. There were even scavenged bunk beds that they were able to use. And of course the slide. The slide was cool. His own camp had been some branches propped against a log and palm leaves to provide a barrier between himself and the dirt. That was the beginning and end of his camp.

Definitely no slides. "It isn't much to look at...but I could take you there if you really want." Darius perked up, sitting up straighter. A shine came into her eyes, something like relief. "Yes!" She said loudly. Then, realizing that she'd shouted, Darius ducked her head and offered Ben a shy smile. "I...I mean that would be really cool. If you don't mind."

Even though he was sure that Darius would be disappointed, Ben smiled. "I don't mind." He looked to the sky, judging the weather and the time. Could they make it to Ben's camp and back before the sun went down? Ben thought so. "If we leave right after breakfast, we can get back before sunset." 

"Okay," Darius agreed. She shoved the rest of the fruit in her mouth, no longer worried about making it last. Ben caught the last few grubs that were trying to escape and ate them quickly.

He picked the fruit up and ate it in a few quick bites, then licked the juice from his fingers. "Ready when you are," he said. His blood thrummed with the idea of leaving the safety of the fence and going back out into the jungle that he knew. It was an adrenaline rush to be sure, one that made his chest tingle and his limbs cold. It was kind of exciting to show off for Darius, to show that Ben had truly come into his own when left alone and forced to use his wits and strength to survive. He hoped that Darius would be impressed. Darius led the way back up to where the others were eating breakfast. 

"Hey guys, Ben and I are going to go on a hike. We won't be back for a few hours."

"Sure," Kenji said with a shrug. He was peering into his can of sliced fruit with longing. 

"Where are you going?" Yasmina asked. Her eyes were narrowed with concern.  Splitting up was rarely a good idea. She didn't need to worry though; Ben would take care of Darius.