Benji (Ben Pincus / Kenji Kon) snippets

Table. [BETWEEN SEASON 2 & 3]

     Sammy frowned, "It's in worse shape than it was when we left."

     The group stood before a clearing in the jungle littered with debris. An upturned table lay by the closest yurt, matching chairs strewn across the dirt. Still-attached torn fabric danced in the air, waiting for a strong storm to free it from the ragged yurts. Shards of glass were scattered in the path of the table, perhaps from plates and cups, along with silverware. The wooden foundation of a far yurt had been snapped in half, causing it to lean towards the jungle. Faint dinosaur footprints were stamped into the ground.

     Darius lead, stepping into the clearing, "Yeah. Completely trashed now." He scanned the edge of the jungle, then walked cautiously to a chair. He gazed around again, then turned. "Seems clear. Get everything you can. We'll make multiple trips if we need to."

     They split up. Kenji headed towards the broken yurt. Darius hauled the chair he was at upright and began collecting silverware. Brooklynn wandered past him into a yurt, hesitantly moving the curtain before she entered. Sammy and Yas had both taken a hunting knife and began cutting away the fabric of an unoccupied yurt. 

     Ben slowly approached Darius, who greeted him with a smile. "Hey Ben."

     "Hi."

     Darius took a look around, "You wanna help someone? Or do your own thing?"

    It was more of an order than a question. "Sure. Do you need help?"

     Darius chuckled, reaching to another chair and dragging it over. "Stacking chairs and gathering silverware isn't hard. Maybe you wanna look for boxes to put stuff in?"

     Ben glanced between the yurts.

     "...You could take the rocks from the bonfire. We'll definitely need those at our camp."

     Ben shrugged and went over to the circle of stones, blackened by char on the inner circumference. He pulled over a box from the outside of the yurt Brooklynn was in and began loading them into it.

     Once the box was full, Ben lifted it, staggering with its weight. Once he steadied himself he turned to the direction of new sounds of struggle at Kenji's yurt.

     The curtain gave way to what seemed to be a table; a long wooden board with legs. The table stuck out a little more, and Ben could see Kenji from the waist down.

     Sammy came to the yurt, "I'll help you, Kenj—"

     "I got it," he panted. "I just gotta get it... out of this... yurt."

     Kenji came through the curtains. His chest was heaving, table toppling on his back as he grappled its heaviness.

     "I insist—"

     Kenji's muscled flexed as he got a grip, "It's good... it's good. I got it now."

     Ben placed the box in the dirt and started towards Kenji, looking unsure. He could feel Darius coming too.

     "I got it," Kenji repeated.

     "I don't think you're carrying that all the way to camp," Darius said defiantly. "You'll throw out your back."

     "It isn't... that far..."

     Yas limped over, "Worry about the sensical people, Darius."

     Darius stared at Yas for a moment before raising a brow at Kenji, who glared at her. "Alright, you can carry it to Bumpy when she gets here. But that's it— it's going on Bumpy's back, not yours."

     "Sure thing, Junior."

     Brooklynn must've overheard everything, "She's coming now, actually."

     Everyone turned. Bumpy arrived at the clearing, snorting at the condition of the camp.

     Ben picked up the box of rocks and strolled to her, grinning. "היי בומפס." ("Hey Bumps.")

     She growled and nuzzled Ben's side, knocking him to the side. He giggled and dropped the box at her side. "שמור את זה." He stepped out of her way, jerking a thumb back, "תסתכל על הבחור הזה." ("Keep this." "Look at that guy.")

     Kenji shuffled his feet towards Bumpy, grunting. The Ankylosaurus grumbled, shaking her head.

     "אני יודע." ("I know.")

     "Kenji, just push it," Brooklynn demanded exasperatedly.

     Kenji furrowed his brows, "Why're you mad? I can do this."

     Ben turned. Kenji was halfway there, with Darius, Brooklynn, Sammy and Yas at the table's sides, carefully watching as to not get hit.

     Kenji whined when the side of the table tilted. He shifted his shoulders, wincing in pain, digging his fingernails into the wood. Ben sighed, approaching the crowd. 

     Kenji stumbled back and threw himself forward to balance. "Wait—!"

     Ben halted just before colliding with the taller boy, who held his breath. He muttered something about his shoulder— not that Ben heard. He lifted his chin to avoid contact with Kenji, now staring him in the eyes.

     On instinct, Ben felt his fingers intertwine, cracks echoing. He sucked on his lip; their faces were inches apart until Ben backed up. Their eyes were still locked.

     Behind him, Bumpy groaned, snapping him out of his trance. She came up next to him and tilted her head, looking at him dumbly.

     He touched her face and murmured, "סליחה שלי." ("My apologies.")

     Kenji, Sammy and Darius moved past him, hoisting the table onto Bumpy's back. Her feet shuffled and she huffed.

     Ben awkwardly minded himself in Bumpy, holding her face and kissing her forehead. She grumbled and licked his arm. He didn't dare even breathe until Kenji vanished from the corner of his eye— and when he did, he gazed over his shoulder and watched Kenji walk away.

     He caught the look Brooklynn and Yas were giving him, but focused back on Bumpy and fingered his bandanna until it came loose. He shook it and his hair out, the quiet sound of the girls' giggling turning his face warmer than it was.