Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Have you ever heard of the idea that every species goes extinct after fifteen million years?"

Ryan stared inquisitively at his brother, waiting for a response. His fingers curled around his shark blanket in anticipation.

"No, but I don't really have time to listen. I have to finish planning my lectures for tomorrow," his brother Luke answered, sighing lightly. Ryan nodded, pushing down the guilt that he felt for even asking. He began chewing on his nails to distract himself. Luke sighed again, then walked out the door. Before closing it, he looked at Ryan with the softest expression on his face he could muster.

"Tell me tomorrow, okay?" he asked quietly, ignoring the way that his little brother looked at him. Eyes steely, expression blank. He just nodded in response and looked away.

Ryan watched Luke close the door and he listened to his footsteps as he went down the hall. Down the stairs to his office, where he would probably fall asleep. He pressed play on his movie, returning to staring at his laptop screen.

And I wonder, if I'm just built this way

'Cause every man that I know makes me feel like I'm to blame

He listened to Samantha Ronson's voice singing lyrics that he knew too well as he got off of his bed and grabbed his notebook from his desk. He opened it to his current favourite page - the one themed around the Mosasaurus, the ancient aquatic beast that lived millions upon millions of years ago. He knew they existed somewhere now, but it wasn't like he would ever see one. The Mosasaurus definitely wouldn't be interested in the disgusting waters around Manhattan. 

When it's over, me and my selfish ways

Go back to the start again

Go back to the start again

He grabbed a pencil off of his nightstand, one littered in teeth marks. He wanted to write about the Mosasaurus's habitat, the Western Interior Seaway. But for some reason, he couldn't start. Ryan wracked his brain, trying to will it to give him strength to write. Nothing came from it. He just groaned and slammed the notebook onto his nightstand, then got up and started to pace around his room while thinking about how he would have explained the "timer" that each species has to Luke. He started biting the skin around his fingernails. He wouldn't let himself breathe until he'd done a specific number of steps. He paced until he just collapsed back onto his bed, his mind going at a million miles a minute. 

"This sucks," Ryan muttered, pausing Mean Girls and putting on his favourite dinosaur documentary. He switched off his lamp and curled up under his blanket. He hoped that everything would magically be better tomorrow. He hoped he wouldn't be so weird. He hoped he would be older so people would take him seriously. He hoped that his brother wouldn't be so consumed by work and would listen to him for once.

He hoped that things would be better tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Henry chewed his lip impatiently as one hand fumbled in his pocket for his altoid tin and the other rested on his desk, fingers drumming against the wood. He looked from his green banker's lamp that was placed beside his computer, to the framed dinosaur posters hung up on the walls of his office, to the glowing lights of the city outside the window. His mind was going at a million miles a minute, thoughts racing around his brain. He finally pulled the tin out of his pocket, taking out two mints and starting to chew. His mind fell quieter, but not completely silent. Great.

He got up and started to pace around his small office, brushing his hand against his filing cabinet, then his monstera plant, then his desk, then he did it again. And again. That order never changed when he was pacing. The repetition was comforting, and it helped him to think when everything in his mind was loud. Paired with the mints, it was a good combo for when he was overthinking. His anxiety would slightly melt away and he'd finally feel calm. His brain was finally quieting down, and he felt way better. Going back over to his desk, he groaned when he remembered that he had loads of extra work to do. He was already staying way later than he usually would.

His phone started buzzing on his desk and he picked it up, dreading having to talk to someone over the phone. But Henry grinned when he saw the caller ID, and he answered it feeling better immediately.

"Hey Luke, you alright?" he asked over-enthusiastically, cringing at the sound of his bubbly voice. Luke chuckled quietly over the phone, making Henry feel like there were butterflies in his stomach. He told himself mentally to pull it together - they were literally together, for crying out loud.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Just wanted to hear your voice, honestly," Luke answered warmly as Henry sat on his fluffy carpet, back against the door. He could have sat in his chair, but where was the fun in that? Plus, the floor seemed comfier. 

"Aw, you wanted to hear my voice? You're cute."

As Luke started to talk about what happened during his lectures that day, Henry started to half listen to his partner and half daydream about how he and the other man met. Luke was a new professor who taught psychology while Henry was the only paleontology professor in the whole university. They (surprisingly) hit it off instantly, and after only a few weeks Henry was asking Luke if he could kiss him. And thankfully he said yes. They had only been together for a few months, but if you asked Henry he would say they were the best few months of his life. But even then, sometimes it felt as if Luke was hiding things about his past from Henry. He knew that he wasn't entitled to his partner's life story, but he sometimes wished that he could know. Especially when it came to things like Luke's brother. Henry only knew what he looked like because of a picture in his partner's wallet - short dirty-blond curls, glasses and freckles. He looked a lot like Henry when he was a teenager. The only other thing he knew was that the kid nearly burned down their house when he was last home alone. How he did that, Henry probably never would find out. 

He was snapped out of his spiral of thoughts when he heard Luke ask, "Henry? You there?"

"Oh, uh- yeah, of course. Sorry, I just zoned out for a bit," he answered quickly, feeling guilty that he hadn't listened properly.

"Cool, cool. So how was your day?"

"Not all that interesting. Hardly anyone is interested in this subject anymore."

"I'm sorry about that, baby."

"It's alright. People were bound to lose interest in dinosaurs since they were brought back. I'm just sad about it, that's all."

"Well it's good that you have me to rant about dinosaurs to."

Henry laughed, and he and Luke kept talking as he got up and got back to working. Planning lectures and responding to emails was a whole lot easier when Henry had his boyfriend to talk to.

Unsurprisingly, time goes a lot faster when you're talking to someone you love, and before Henry knew it Luke was saying, "As much as I love you, Henry, I do need to sleep."

"Oh, alright. Well, I love you, and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Henry said, slightly sad that he couldn't talk to his partner anymore.

"I love you too, I'll see you tomorrow, baby."

Luke hung up, and Henry just sat at his desk for a moment, waiting for the warmth in his stomach to disappear. He couldn't believe that he still had feelings like that even when he had been dating the guy for a while. He sighed quietly, then got up and started to put his things away so he could go home. As he left his office he got two more mints and started chewing. He exited the building and took the scenic route to the staff parking lot. But the winter had made it so it wasn't as nice. Leafless trees, snow on the ground that resembled a slushy and a bitter breeze that got through to the skin regardless of the layers he wore. Once he got to the parking lot, he saw that his car was the only one there. Once he got into his car, he sighed and shut his eyes for a moment. He was almost home, then the day would be finished. He turned on the radio to fill the silence as he backed out of his parking space and started to head back to his apartment.

So I think all of us have heard of the tragic passing of the last dinosaur living in North America, Bronto-Billy, which is so damn tragic.

I know, Larry, it's just terrible-

Henry switched off his radio, cursing under his breath. He didn't want to hear about the poor Apatosaurus that lived wildly out of its climate in New York, and died in pain. That was the last thing he wanted to hear about. He turned into his apartment complex's parking lot, one of his legs shaking. He pulled into his space and immediately grabbed his altoid tin. Three mints this time. His mind was stirred up because of the stupid radio presenters talking about Bronto-Billy and how sad his death was, when they probably didn't give a fuck about dinosaurs. He got out of his car, shivering as the January breeze bit at his skin. He walked briskly into the building, nodding at his two neighbours who were standing in the lobby of the building. He pressed the button for the elavator and stood staring blankly at the wall. The elavator doors opened and it was, thankfully, empty. Henry walked in, tugging off his jacket and getting another mint. He would need to refill the tin once he was at his apartment. The light in the elavator was buzzing and flickering, causing Henry to cover his ears and shut his eyes. He just told himself it would be over soon.

The doors finally opened, and Henry walked quickly to the door to his apartment, pulling his key out of his pocket. He opened the door and went straight in, collapsing onto the couch and breathing a loud sigh of relief. 

"Finally," he muttered, burying his face into one of the many pillows on his couch. He just lay there for a while, letting himself cool down from the boring day he had. Once he felt better, he got up, went to his bedroom and immediately tugged off the shirt and pants he decided to wear that day. They seemed like a good idea that morning, but he had come to regret it by now. He grabbed a pair of red pyjama pants and a hoodie that may or may not have been Luke's. Putting them on, Henry felt better instantly. He went back to the living room and turned on the TV, wanting to find some stupid show to fall asleep to as he curled up on his couch with his knees against his chest. The TV was playing the news, and they were talking about Bronto-Billy. Henry groaned and turned it off. He felt like everyone and their mother was talking about the poor creature. As much as he loved dinosaurs, he really didn't want to hear about the ones that died in pain. 

He curled up tighter, wondering how his day had gone from bad to good (only for a moment) to bad again. Henry hated those kinds of days. He just decided to actually sleep in his bed that night instead of on the couch - hopefully his back wouldn't ache so much the next morning. Luke was always nagging him about sleeping on the couch. Henry should probably listen to him more about that. He connected his small speaker to his phone and put on a playlist his partner made for him. Mostly it was Luke's favourite music, which was pretty different to Henry's, but he had learned to like it. He often found himself subconsciously humming the melodies of some of the songs, which was surprising seeing as it wasn't easy for him to get into new music. Maybe he wasn't as vanilla as he thought he was.

Henry collapsed onto his bed, closing his eyes and letting himself think. His day had been too long and too exhausting. His phone buzzed and he picked it up, a smile spreading on his face when he saw who had messaged him.

Luke: I honestly can't sleep haha

Did you get home alright?

Henry grinned and ran a hand through his hair. Trust Luke to worry about him too much.

Henry: Yeah :)

But seriously you need to sleep

I need to as well

Also I'm actually in my bed for once are you proud of me

Luke: Obviously!

Maybe your back won't hurt so bad

Anyway I'll leave you now

Goodnight, I love you <3

Henry: Goodnight :>

I love you too btw

Henry turned his phone off and placed it on his nightstand. He rolled over and closed his eyes, still smiling.

He fell asleep with a grin plastered on his face.

Chapter Text

As Luke sat alone in his office, all he could think about was what the hell Ryan could be doing. He chewed on his nails nervously while his leg shook, not understanding why he felt so anxious. He already had so much to think about, his stupid brother wasn't one of those things. Starting to chew on the sleeve of his forest green sweater (that may be Henry's), his mind raced with thoughts. Thankfully, his mind went silent as a pair of warm arms wrapped around his neck.

"Hey idiot," Henry murmured into his boyfriend's ear, his voice calming the other man's nerves.

"Hey yourself," Luke replied as Henry began peppering kisses on his neck and jaw. He tried to protest, but his boyfriend persisted.

"I love you, Henry, but I really need to work."

"Aw, really? Come on, work is boring. Hang out with me? Please?"

Luke groaned sarcastically, but he took his boyfriend's hand and followed him to his office. Henry's office was far superior to his own, anyway. The posters and fairy lights on the walls, along with the plants, made it feel like home. He collapsed onto the armchair in the corner, grinning.

"Oh yeah, this is way better than working," he remarked. "So, did you need me for anything, or what?"

Henry shuffled awkwardly and admitted, "You seemed stressed, and I don't think you being in your office was helping. So, I thought bringing you here would help, but if you-"

"Oh my god baby, that is the fucking cutest thing ever," Luke laughed, jumping up from the chair and flinging his arms around his boyfriend. The other man hugged him back tightly, gripping his sweater. Henry always gave the best hugs.

Before he could say anything, Luke's phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He groaned and silently prayed that it wasn't to do with Ryan. 

"Can I take this really quick?" he asked, and Henry mumbled a yes while he let him go. Luke answered the call while crossing his fingers.

"Hi there, Mr. McKinley, this is Principal Jones from Xavier High School."

"Oh god, what's he done now?" Luke asked, rubbing his temples.

"Ryan was in a physical fight with another student. He is injured, but there isn't a need for him to go to the emergency room."

"Will he be suspended at all?"

"We're looking at a two day suspension, and after school detention for two weeks once he returns. Are you available to pick him up?"

"Jesus- Yeah, I can come get him. I'll be twenty minutes or so."

"Thank you."

Luke hung up and collapsed back onto Henry's armchair, his mind racing. Henry came over, gestured for him to move over and squeezed himself next to his boyfriend. They sat in silence for a bit, with Luke's head on the other man's shoulder. All he could think about was how Ryan got himself into that situation. Henry gripped his hand tightly, trying to offer support without saying anything, because, well, he didn't know what to say.

"God, I should go get him," Luke murmured, getting up while still holding Henry's hand. "I just- I can't believe he did that!"

"I'm not trying to tell you how to parent him, but I think you should lay off a little. He's a teenager, teenagers do weird shit," Henry offered hopefully, getting another mint from his altoid tin.

"I know, I know, it's just- I don't know."

Luke went to his office and grabbed his things, kissed Henry goodbye and started to head to his car to get Ryan. 

---

"I can't believe you would do that!" Luke chided, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. The radio was on but it did nothing to cut through the tension. 

"I swear, it wasn't my fault! It was one of the guys who's always being a bitch to me, so how can it be my fault?" Ryan argued back, holding a stained tissue against his bloody nose. A purple bruise around his eye was beginning to appear and his split lip was still bleeding.

"That doesn't excuse anything!" Luke contested. "You know, I work my ass off to send you to a private school where you can get a decent education, and all you do to repay me is pull shit like this."

"I don't owe you anything!"

Luke sighed and loosened his grip on the wheel slightly. "Look, you're gonna have to come with me to work for the next two days, because you got yourself suspended. Again."

"Why can't I stay at home?" Ryan asked, running a hand through his curly hair.

"Because you know what happened last time you were home alone."

"Ah, yes. Now you think I'm a pyromaniac."

"No, I don't, I just don't want you to get hurt."

Luke pulled up outside their house and got out of the car, with Ryan following with a slight limp. 

"So, there's a paleontology professor at my uni - I'll try and see if you can sit in on his lectures," he explained, fumbling with his keys at the front door.

"Really? You would do that for me?" his brother asked quietly, wringing his hands together.

"Yeah. I know how crazy you are about dinosaurs, plus I don't think you'd be all that interested in philosophy."

"Exactly."

Luke laughed slightly as he opened the door, then he went straight to the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee. Ryan stood in the doorway, playing with his backpack straps. The older of the two busied himself with the kettle, but when he turned around his brother captured him in a hug. 

"Woah, woah, you okay?" he asked, putting down the mug he was holding and hugging Ryan back. He just nodded in response, then let go and ran up to his room. Luke stood there surprised for a second, then laughed quietly and pulled out his phone to call Henry.

"Hey, Henry."

"Hi! Is Ryan okay?"

"Kind of. Split lip, black eye, nosebleed, and he's walking with a limp but the principal said he didn't need to go to the emergency room."

"Cool."

Luke took a deep breath, and decided to bite the bullet and ask if Ryan could sit in on Henry's lectures.

"Hey, could you do me a favour?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course, anything! Is everything okay?" Henry replied, sounding slightly anxious.

"Yeah, yeah, it's just- Ryan got suspended for two days and I don't trust him on his own. So bringing him with me to work sounds like the only option. But I don't know how he-"

"Luke, do you want me to have him in my lectures?"

He froze up for a second. How the hell could Henry just read his mind like that?

"...Would you be mad if I said yes?"

"I mean, does the kid like dinosaurs?"

"Oh, god, yes. He's fucking crazy about them."

"Okay, he's my kind of person. How crazy are we talking?"

"It's like he wouldn't be able to get out of bed if they didn't exist."

"I mean, have you ever considered he might be autistic? Cos he sounds pretty similar to me in that regard."

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it."

"Might be something you should look into. Anyways, I'll totally take him!"

"Oh my god, thank you so much, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, sweetheart."

"Just so you know, he can be kind of a bastard sometimes. Trust me, I know."

"Hm, I think I can manage. Oh, I need to go, talk to you later, I love you!"

"Love you too, baby."

The call disconnected, and Luke headed up to Ryan's room to tell him he could stay with Henry. He knocked on the door, surprisingly excited to tell him.

"Come in," Ryan said through the door, and Luke went in to see his brother drawing a pterosaur in his notebook. 

"Hey, so you can sit in the paleontology lectures, I talked to the prof and he said it's fine," Luke confirmed, going over and sitting on his brother's bed.

"Seriously?" the younger of the two asked, grinning.

"Yep!"

Luke smiled at the sight of Ryan's genuine smile, something he didn't see very often. Since starting high school, the kid hadn't really been as upbeat as he used to be. 'Maybe that's why he loves dinosaurs so much,' he thought, thinking back to what Henry said about Ryan being autistic. He should look into talking to someone about that. 

"Are you good? You're just staring at me," Ryan noted.

"Oh, sorry dude, I just zoned out a little," Luke said after a pause, running a hand through his hair. "You just seemed super happy for a second."

He ruffled his brother's hair, then asked, "So, how about you tell me about that species timer thing, huh?"

Chapter Text

Ryan's excitement was nearly through the roof as Luke pulled into the NYU staff parking lot. He was actually going to be able to talk to a dinosaur professional for once in his life!

"Okay, so, no bombarding the guy with questions. I get that you're excited, but he's meant to be teaching," Luke instructed as he undid his seat belt and got out of the car.

"Yeah, yeah, got it," Ryan half-heartedly agreed, playing with the straps on his backpack.

"Seriously, Ry. Also, no talking unless you're answering something, and no being an absolute bastard."

"Sure, whatever."

They walked into the building together, with Luke's arm around his shoulder as he basically got a free tour of the place. He totally wanted to study paleontology here once he got out of school. If he worked hard enough he could start as an undergraduate once he was eighteen. Yeah, he'd try and do that. Ryan looked up at the large glass windows and staircases, entranced by the architecture of the building.

They reached a quiet, empty hallway with a high ceiling, loads of doors and large windows, allowing the sun to spill into the room. Luke stopped them at a seemingly random door and knocked on it. The metal sign screwed onto it read 'Dr. Henry Loomis - Paleontology'. His mind began to race as he wondered if it could really be him. Once the door opened, Ryan instantly recognised the guy in front of him.

"Hey Luke, I'm guessing this is the famous Ryan? I'm Henry!" the man grinned, extending his hand in front of him. Ryan shook it, slightly star-struck.

"Hold on, Henry Loomis? The Henry Loomis?" he asked, his words coming out of his mouth faster than he wanted.

"Uh, yeah, that's me!"

"No way, I'm a massive fan of your work!"

Henry looked at Luke, who looked at him with slightly dead eyes. 

"What did I say, he's a nerd," Luke clarified, cracking his knuckles. As Ryan tried to hold in his excitement, his brother laid out some ground rules for him he forgot in around five seconds. Before Luke left, he noticed that the way he and Henry looked at each other didn't seem all that platonic. He decided to interrogate his brother about that later.

Henry turned to Ryan and asked, "Well, I need to get to my classroom, wanna come with?"

"Totally!" he smiled, following the paleontologist with a spring in his step. The grin on his face was uncontrollable as he listened to Henry talk about his lectures for that day.

"First up, I have a lecture on pterosaurs, you interested in those?"

"Duh, obviously!"

"Thought so! Stupid question on my part, honestly."

"Nah, don't worry about it, I ask stupid shit all the time."

They walked in silence for a second, before Henry said, "Oh, by the way, gnarly bruise," while gesturing to his black eye.

"Thanks. You should see the other guy." Ryan smirked. Henry laughed in response. He definitely liked this kid. They talked as Ryan was led into a massive lecture room. Seats filled almost the whole room, while bright fluorescent lights flickered above them. They both winced and looked down, causing Henry to laugh quietly.

"You don't like the lights either?"

"Nuh uh."

Ryan followed Henry up onto the platform with a desk and projection screen. He just stared at all the seats in the room, awestruck. "Is this whole room full when you teach?"

"Nah. It's only, like, a third full. Disappointing, I know, but it's better than nothing at all."

He just nodded, feeling sad that no-one cared about Henry's lectures. The guy was an incredible paleontologist, how could anyone not like him?

"Well, the lecture starts in ten. Get yourself a decent seat before the other students do."

---

"Yet, of course, the Quetzalcoatlus, like all other pterosaurs, were killed off in the K-Pg extinction event." Henry concluded, showing the final slide of his lecture. Ryan stared at the teacher intently, his leg shaking as he focused. "Now, does anyone have any questions?" The silence in the class was deafening. No-one else would say anything? Fine - he would. He slowly raised his hand, mentally planning what he would say.

"Yes, Ryan?" Henry answered, surprised that this was the only question that Ryan was answering to out of the whole lecture. 

"Can I counter something you said during the lecture, professor?" he asked, sounding surprisingly professional. The other students in the room looked at the fourteen year old, confused at who this kid even was. 

"Um, yes. What was it?"

"You said that the Quetzalcoatlus was the biggest pterosaur, and the biggest animal to ever fly. Unfortunately, you're wrong." 

"Oh, well, do enlighten me. What could be bigger than that?"

Ryan stood up and came down to the teaching platform. "I need space to pace around as I speak, if you don't mind." Henry just nodded, surprised at the kid's confidence.

He took a deep breath, and began. "Now, we all believe that the Quetzalcoatlus was the largest pterosaur, right?" The students nodded. "Well, to put it bluntly, which is what I do, you're wrong. Let's think back to Europe, sixty-six million years ago. I'll just say MYA from now - it's quicker. Back then, Europe was an expansive archipelago, with loads of different sized islands. We're focusing on one - Hațeg Island. Today, it's around the size of Ireland, but it was extremely isolated from the other islands. Because of this, there were few resources, causing many cases of dwarfism and gigantism.

The biggest predator on the island was the Hatzegopteryx - known as the Hatzegopteryx thembema. It was named in the early two-thousands, but the first fossils were discovered in the seventies. Its wingspan reached twelve metres, or thirty-nine feet, compared to the Quetzalcoatlus's eleven metre wingspan. Its average weight has never been properly estimated, but scientists have said that it was most likely around two-hundred to two-hundred and fifty kilograms, like the Quetzalcoatlus. It stood at a height of five metres, or sixteen to eighteen feet - comparable to the height of a modern-day giraffe. While there is a lot of discourse around which was truly bigger, many people agree on the idea that the Hatzegopteryx was bigger, with a robust head, while the Quetzalcoatlus was taller. I personally believe that the Hatzegopteryx is bigger, due to its wingsize and skull length, plus it's been estimated to have been the biggest terrestrial predator existing in Europe sixty-six MYA. Plus, my belief in it being bigger is backed up by the fact that there were no giant theropods, or any other general predator on the island, causing it to get extremely big.

Going back to the skull of the Hatzegopteryx, it was extremely robust, as I mentioned, with an average length of two and a half metres. That's comparable to a horse, just for reference. It was also extremely sturdy. It's neck was broad and short, with research stating that the neck could withstand forces up to ten times it's whole body weight."

Ryan looked at Henry briefly, who was just staring at him intently, mesmerised by the sheer amount the kid knew.

"The skull had a large hole in it, which is assumed to be useful in relieving pressure while flying. The Hatzegopteryx could definitely fly, for sure, but it wasn't as good as people originally estimated. It was able to fly, but it needed many breaks, and could only fly for short periods of time. It is assumed that it would use its flight to scour the island for prey or nesting spots, which was extremely useful seeing as Hațeg Island had a forest-like ecosystem with a sub-tropical climate. So, it's flight capabilities made it a top predator. It would prey on the dinosaurs of the island - yes, dinosaurs - which experienced dwarfism due to the lack of resources on the island, so they became small enough for the Hatzegopteryx to prey on. It ruled Hațeg Island, but eventually that reign had to end. Take a guess on what killed it off."

"K-Pg?" Henry asked, smiling.

"Yep. K-Pg. So, rant over I guess."

The whole class was silent, and Henry cleared his throat and said quickly, "Um, thank you, Ryan for the masterclass on pterosaurs. Class dismissed everyone. Kid, stay here."

The class began to get up and file out of the room. One girl with long box braids and glasses stared at Ryan as she left, making him worry that he was talking about something they already knew about, or that he was telling them blatantly wrong information.

"Kid, that was great. I mean, you were great. Seriously, that was incredible!" Henry praised, causing Ryan to startle.

"Oh, um, uh, thanks," he replied hurriedly, playing with the buttons on his forest green flannel. "I-it's my favourite pterosaur, and I don't think people talk about it enough."

"That's what you have me for." Henry's voice was warm. They both heard a buzzing, and Henry pulled out his phone. His eyes slightly widened when he saw the caller ID. "Hey uh, kid, I need to take this really quick." He pressed the answer button, anxious about what the call would entail.

"Hey Duncan, uh, what's going on?"

"Dude, I'm so glad you picked up. It's Zora."

Henry's blood went cold. What happened to her?

"She was kidnapped. I need your help."

Chapter Text

"K-kidnapped, what do you mean kidnapped?" Henry asked desperately, nearly dropping his phone in shock. Zora, who was the toughest woman he knew. Zora, who saved his life too many times to count, back when everything happened. Zora, who could - and would - kill anyone who crossed her. How could she have been kidnapped?

"All I know is that she's on Île Saint-Hubert and that someone is holding her hostage. She sent me an S.O.S."

Île Saint-Hubert. That island. Suffering dinosaur hybrids that had been abandoned and left to die. The screams of four people who didn't deserve their demise (Okay, maybe two of them did). Things he'd seen that only his therapist knew about. The nightmares that still happened two years later. The shaking, the cold sweats. Henry quickly composed himself, remembering that this wasn't a time for self-pity. This was a time for planning to rescue Zora and get her back safely and alive. He swallowed his fear and kept talking.

"Oh uh, w-well, I'll help. What do you need? What can I do?"

"Try and recruit as many people as you can get. You can be our dinosaur expert. I'm trying to organise a team, but it's unlikely there will be many other people. I'm considering contacting the Delgados -"

"No, no. Not them, Duncan. They saw enough on that island. I still feel bad for the kids."

"Okay. But anyone."

"Got it. I'll do what I can. When do we go out to try and rescue her?"

"I need you at the airport by tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock sharp. Pack light - don't bring anything you don't wanna carry. A private plane will get us to Suriname."

"Tomorrow? Um, okay. Thanks, man."

"Oh, and Henry? No one else can find out. Y'know, with the going to the one place every government in the world forbids going to."

"Sure. I'll see you, Duncan."

The call ended, with Henry standing in shock. His mind was completely blank, with Duncan's words racing around his brain. He needed to leave. Fast. He turned around to go and fake being ill to get home, but he paused when he saw Ryan. Standing right there. Ryan, who had definitely heard everything. Who would probably snitch on them for planning something illegal.

"You heard all of that, didn't you?" Henry asked defeatedly, burying his head in his hands.

"Yup. Every word of it," Ryan answered. He seemed surprisingly calm.

"Oh, god." Henry began to panic mentally. He was absolutely fucked. Then a thought crossed his mind. He chewed on his nails, trying to ignore it and think rationally. But it was eating at him, and all he wanted was to say it. Fuck it, he thought, why the hell not?

"Hey, kid?"

"What?"

"What do you say we go on an adventure?"

"You mean follow you on your mission to get your friend back, where by the sound of it, I could die? And said mission is definitely illegal? Oh yeah, totally."

He studied Ryan's blank face. "Are you being sarcastic?"



"Nope. It would be fun! Or, as fun as it can be when you're rescuing a hostage."

Henry was shocked at the kid's response. "A-are you serious? You're a kid! God, your brother is gonna kill me."

"Dude, you're the one who suggested I come. Just say that I overheard the plans - which I did - and now I need to go with you or I might tell somebody. Plus, then he can come too, and like, make sure I don't light anything on fire."

Henry looked at the kid, thinking about what he had just said. Well, he wasn't exactly wrong. But did he really want to drag a kid into this?

"I'll go talk to Luke."

Yes. Yes he did. He was absolutely fucked. 

---

"You did what?" Luke asked, only just containing the anger in his voice. His knuckles were white from gripping the back of his chair.

"Luke, I had no other choice, I'm sorry."

Henry was standing in his understandably mad boyfriend's office, with Ryan waiting outside. "The information is classified, he has to come. God knows what will happen if we let him loose knowing that."

Luke just rubbed his temples and collapsed into his chair, groaning. "It's just- I love him, and the last thing I want is for anything bad to happen to the kid."

"I know you do, but maybe this will be good for him," Henry offered weakly, earning a look from the other man that could absolutely kill someone. God, he thought, why is he this hot when he's mad?

"This would be good for him? Sorry, how are you suggesting that? If I let him near those things, he's gonna wind up with his head getting bitten off. Yeah, I know he knows a lot about dinosaurs - I'm the one that listens to his rambles. But I don't want him going."

Henry was stumped there. Then he remembered what Ryan had told him. He thought for a few seconds, deliberating on whether he should try it. Again, fuck it. Why not?

"Well, if I happened to accidentally tell you all the details, then you'd just have to come with. Y'know, for safety reasons?" he offered, and Luke just stared at the floor while mumbling to himself. He got up and started pacing around his office. Then he looked straight at Henry.

"Fine. I'll come. But only for Ryan's sake."

He was startled by his boyfriend's response. "Really?"

"Really. I mean, I really don't care about consequences. I don't have much to lose apart from you and Ryan. Plus, you seem to care a lot about your friend."

Henry went and hugged him, gripping his shirt tightly. Luke hugged him back, his mouth curling into a small smile. He pulled away and kissed his boyfriend's forehead.

"Just so you know, if anything happens to Ryan -"

"Yeah, you can murder me. You'd have every right to."

"I know, baby, I know." 

Henry grinned, resting his head on Luke's shoulder. "So, should I start explaining the whole thing to you?"

"Sure."

---

Henry sat on the floor of his apartment, trying to process everything that had happened. He had gone home early to pack for the next day and think about what the hell he had gotten himself into. He was really going to bring both his boyfriend and his boyfriend's little brother to an island where travel is illegal and death is near certain. All his mind wanted to do was run through all the things that could go wrong. The plane crashes, the boat to the island sinks or gets attacked, they get eaten by a Mosasaur, they fall off a cliff, they get eaten by a T-Rex, they get trampled by a Titanosaurus, they -

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his door being unlocked and someone coming in, and he looked up to see Luke staring at him with a worried expression, spare key in hand.

"You okay, baby? What are you doing on the floor?" he questioned, but he came over and sat beside Henry anyway.

"Stressing about everything, I think. Mostly about what sweaters to bring with me."

Luke's quiet laugh made him feel warm on the inside in the best way. "I just wanted to check on you and make sure you weren't having a nervous breakdown."

Henry's hand found his boyfriend's, as if it was a reflex he'd lived his whole life with. "I don't know how well I'll do there," he admitted quietly, starting to chew the skin on the inside of his cheek. "I mean, I'm still a little scared of the place. There's still dinosaurs, which is cool, I guess, but I just- I don't know."

"You're going because you care about Zora. Even though you're scared, you'll still show up. That's really important, you know."

He sat there, mulling over what his boyfriend had said when he felt cool metal being pressed into his free hand. 

"You need to chew on something that isn't the inside of your mouth, baby," Luke smiled as Henry grabbed two mints and began to chew.

"How do you know me so well?"

"I'm your boyfriend. It's my job."

He just smiled in response. But the thoughts of everyone on the mission dying came flooding back. He got up and began pacing around his apartment, trying to ignore the thoughts racing through his mind. Luke immediately noticed and got up and hugged him. Henry buried his face into his boyfriend's jacket, breathing in the familiar scent of cigarette smoke and cedarwood. His mind began to calm down, but nothing could stop the tears welling in his eyes.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay. You're allowed to be scared."

But was he? He needed to be professional and smart, not breaking down because he was scared of those he loved dying. Being scared was the last thing he needed to be.

"I don't- I don't want to lose you. I can't help thinking about that," he quietly explained. His stomach turned at the mere thought of-

"Baby, I'll be okay. I promise you, both you and I will be fine."

Luke kissed Henry's forehead, holding his face in his hands. "I'll be fine."

Henry hoped that he was right.