⍟ Broken Strings {A Chaos Theory x Male Reader Story - Ben}

𝟻. 𝙶𝚒𝚟𝚎 & 𝚃𝚊𝚔𝚎

"Huh, you really do know just what to say." Yaz observes with a smirk.

Y/N chuckles, "Yeah, I try my best. Truth is, I'd rather die a thousand times than let anything happen to any of you. We've come too far together."

"Hey, don't say that!" Yasmina punches him in the arm, "Nobody's dying! Today or ever!"

"You're right." Y/N shakes away the thought, "I'm sorry." He pats her on the shoulder before walking over to where everyone is gushing over Smoothie.

"Okay, people." Ben comes over, "From the looks of it, we should be able to get to the vet facility on foot. We can get Bumpy, then get the heck out of here!"

The group is suddenly alerted by a loud rattling and cracking. They all gasp at the loud thud as the truck finally descends from the tree, clunking to the ground.

"Ah, that's just the car falling." Yaz breathes out in relief, "Oof! I was worried for a second that it was gonna be a--"

The car alarm begins blaring, accompanied by its headlights flashing. Distant roars of disgruntled dinos can be heard, the loud sounds alerting them.

"The horn is riling up the dinosaurs..." Sammy whispers, "And drawing them closer..."

"Turn it off!" Ben shouts, running for the car, "We have to turn it off!" He tries to open the door but is forced to jump out of the way when a frightened dinosaur charges towards him.

The group is frazzled, zigzagging through all different kinds of dinosaurs, all running in differing directions.

Y/N and Darius sprint away, ducking and rolling beneath the belly of a fleeing Stego. When Y/N looks up, he sees Smoothie still safely in Darius' hand, the baby dino not having a care in the world.

"Here!" Y/N grabs Smoothie and unzips the backpack that's now on Darius' back. He slots the precious cargo inside before the two of them take off running again.

Y/N shoots off, helping Brooklyn duck behind a giant log for cover as Darius stands beside the truck. He looks over and sees a Sinoceratops rushing towards the car.

"Watch out!" Brooklyn screams as the dinosaur flips the car over onto Darius. He's fine, however, the bulk of the car hovering over him due to the bars on the top of the vehicle holding it up. "Get out of there!"

Darius scrambles out from beneath the truck as the Sino continues attacking it. Brooklyn gets up, trying to go help, but Y/N grabs her shoulder, "Stay here!"

Yaz jumps over the log, ducking behind it as well. Sammy runs behind her but gets cut off by a Kentro and falls to the ground. The girls scream her name and Y/N hurdles the log to go get her.

He helps pull her up of the ground, directing her over to the fallen tree before running back out.

He spots Darius fleeing the Sino still, the backpack containing Smoothie swinging from his hand loosely.

"Darius!" He calls, holding his hands up. Darius spots him and tosses the bag over before sliding and rolling for cover behind a rock.

Y/N catches Smoothie and joins Ben and Kenji as they duck behind a tree, just for said tree to instantly be attacked by a Triceratops, the dinosaur shoving its front horn through the width of the wood.

The three men leap out of the way, Y/N taking cover behind a different tree while Ben and Kenji duck beside a rock, the Triceratops still after them.

Y/N takes a beat, trying to think of what he can do. He takes a quick scan of the area. A headcount. Ben and Kenji. Darius. Sammy and Yaz. Brooklyn... where's Brooklyn...?

That's when he hears it. The car horn blares, catching the attention of all the dinosaurs in the area. Brooklyn climbs on top of the flipped-over truck, screaming and shouting, doing anything to distract the dinosaurs attacking her friends.

Her plan works, the creatures charging towards her, but Brooklyn doesn't move. She remains in place, fists clenched at her sides and eyes squeezed shut.

"She's..." The words don't even get to leave Y/N's mouth. He tosses down the backpack and sprints forward, hoping to meet Brooklyn before death does.

Just as the three dinosaurs reach the car, Y/N gets a boost in speed that comes along with the desperation running through him. He jumps over, tackling Brooklyn to the ground and out of the path of the stampeding creatures as they destroy the truck.

Dust kicks up and Y/N pants, hovering over Brooklyn on the ground, letting the feeling of not being dead wash over him. He gets to his feet, his hands shaking in a way they never have, and pulls Brooklyn off the ground.

"Brookyln!" He shouts at her, he doesn't mean to, but he does, "Are you insane!?" He shakes her by her shoulders, looking into her teary eyes and noticing the way they fill with fear and guilt.

Brooklyn looks away as she begins to sob, "I-- I... just wanna make things right."

"We can't lose you, B." Y/N lets out a sigh of relief, hugging her tightly, "We're all we've got right now... all of us." He can hear his heart pounding in his ears.

Brooklyn stands there limp, crying into his shoulder. Y/N doesn't let her go. How can he after that? After everything?

After Ben... after that time, the time he regrets and relives constantly, Y/N vowed to himself that he'd never let his friends get hurt like that ever again. And he won't. Even if it means putting himself at risk.

He finally pulls back, his hands lingering on Brooklyn's shoulders, "We'll figure this out. I promise."

Before she can respond, Y/N turns his head at the sound of pounding footsteps. A Stego charges towards them, angry and afraid. Y/N can share the sentiment. He pushes Brooklyn by her shoulders as hard as he can, getting her out of the way before the dinosaur swings its tail.

The last thing he feels is a sharp, violent pain twisting in his side and the rough thudding of his head against a hard surface before his vision goes black.