Hey, what's up? This is just a little one-shot of July Fourth with the raptor squad, plus Orion and Dylan, who are two separate people in this story. This is just to keep you busy while I write the next chapter for \VR-01_\; I'm having a bit of writer's block, but I should have it out by July 6th, maybe even the 5th if I get over WB quickly. Anyways, hope you enjoy, and remember to review and critique.

M

"Hey, Owen!" yelled Dylan Smith, the new assistant raptor trainer, who was overlooking the raptor paddock from the metal paddock. "Oh, hey, Dyl. What's up?" replied the rugged man from his position on the ground in the paddock. Josh walked down the stairs and to the metal gate as he said, "Oh nothing to exciting; I was just wondering what you got planned for the 4th." It was the Fourth of July weekend in Jurassic World, and Owen always had something planned for the holidays, so Dylan was curious as to what Owen had planned for the 4th. "Just a small barbeque at my place with a couple of the workers," replied Owen. "You wanna come?" Dylan looked at the treeline, expecting his best friend to emerge at any minute as he replied, "What the hell, I don't have anything better to do." Owen then turned away to go back to whatever he was doing before Dylan had gotten there.

"Oh, hey!" he added. Owen looked at him and Dylan said, "I got that new prototype translator working." "Cool; what's new?" asked Owen as he leaned on the bars. "It's just smaller and more comfortable, as well as more portable; I made a little portable charger with three times more battery life than the translator itself." Owen looked legitimately amazed. "Wow; you sure find the most ways to innovate the most innovative tech on the globe. That thing isn't even a year old, and you're already innovating the hell out of it," he said with a smile. Dylan nodded and asked, "How's yours working? Fine?" Owen nodded and said, "I can finally understand my girls, and it hasn't failed me once." He gestured to the rather small earpiece; it was insane that Dylan even found a way to make it smaller. Dylan said, "Hey, do you think we can sneak Orion and the girls to your place later today? I want them to see the fireworks up close." This was the first time that Jurassic World had actually bothered to host a fireworks show for the 4th, and the animals were secure as could be.

"I dunno, but I could be able to get them out of here with Claire's help," said Owen. Claire wasn't one for breaking rules before the Indominus Rex incident, but Dylan hadn't talked to her in forever, so she could be a completely different person now. After Masrani's death, she was named CEO of Jurassic Park and has since gained the livelihood Masrani had, as well as the respect. At least according to Owen. Dylan nodded and said, "I haven't seen her in so long; it'll be good to finally see her again." Owen smiled and said, "Well, she's about as fiery as ol' Rexy, and neither are going down any time soon." Dylan laughed and pushed the button to open the door. He reached in his pocket and grabbed his own earpiece, putting it on as the brush rustled with movement. As he pressed the little "on" button, he heard giggling and snickering from behind the bushes. He looked at Owen with a bemused expression, which the man returned.

Just then, the bushes parted to let out a form of crimson sparkled with white dots. Before Dylan knew it, he was on the ground being attacked by a wet tongue. A very wet tongue. "Gah! Orion, stop that!" Dylan cried as his face was assaulted by Orion's tongue. Orion stopped with a sheepish look. "Sorry, I'm just happy to see you," he said. Dylan chuckled as he wiped his face with his hands, which he wiped on his shorts. He got up and saw Owen having a much tougher time getting his raptors off of him, no matter how much the man pleaded. "Blue! Ah, stop that! Delta, knock it off! Echo, get off me! Charlie, back up!" Dylan chuckled again at the doggy pile of raptors on top of one man, licking him without mercy, and looked at Orion, who laughed at the scene. "Hey, what about me?" asked Dylan jokingly. The four siblings then snapped their gazes onto him, and Dylan's face dropped. "Guys, I was kidding; go back to loving Owen," he said as he looked at Orion that had "help me" plastered all over it. Orion laughed again and backed up as the four raptor sisters tackled Dylan and started to lick him as well. However, unlike Owen, he just accepted defeat and lied there on the ground. Fortunately, the sisters let up on him on their own, and once they backed up, they all gave him innocent looks. Dylan laughed and hugged the raptor sisters. "Hi, Dylan!" said Charlie cheerily. "Hey, how're you guys doing?" Dylan asked them. "Eh," said Echo.

"That's it? 'Eh?'" asked Dylan with a smile. "Don't mind her; she's been a little grumpy lately, what with mating season going on," said Delta from behind her. Echo growled slightly as Delta came up to embrace the man. "Good to see you, Delta," said Dylan. "You too, Dylan," she replied. Blue didn't greet Dylan right away, as she was talking to Orion. "Hey, Blue," said Dylan. She turned to face him with her always-unreadable expression. "Don't I get a hello?" Blue smiled and made her way over to Dylan and embraced him. "She's too busy hanging out with her mate," said Echo teasingly. Blue blushed and growled at her sister as Orion rolled his eyes. "Remember, dear sister? He can't mate," said Blue. And it was true; Orion had been castrated almost the minute he got to Jurassic World, which is probably what made him so mellow and docile around people. The girls were a different story. "No he can't," said Owen in a bitter tone. Dylan sent a glare in Owen's direction, but he didn't notice; Dylan didn't know why Owen hated Orion so much, but he figured that if they want to keep it a secret from the most secretive, it must've been bad.

Orion just looked to Dylan, like he always did when Owen sent a comment in his direction; it was an expression of confusion and sadness. "Hey, it's alright; Owen didn't have his coffee yet," said Dylan comfortingly. Orion chuckled and lightened up as he embraced Dylan. "Thanks," he said. "For what?" Dylan asked. "Just… thanks; in case I don't get the chance to say it later," Orion replied. Dylan pulled away with a confused and worried expression, and Orion wore a genuinely happy smile. "Tomorrow's not guaranteed to any of us," he elaborated. Dylan smiled and said, "Ain't that the truth." He then turned to the girls and said, "I was wondering if maybe you guys wanted to go to Owen's place for the 4th." The girls and Orion looked at him with confused expression, and Owen snorted. "The fourth? Of what?" asked Delta. "The Fourth of July; it's when America celebrates its independence from Great Britain," replied Dylan. All he got in return were even more confused expressions.

"America and Great Britain are two far away countries; America was part of Great Britain a long time ago, but America didn't like that, so they fought Great Britain for their independence. The Fourth of July marks the day the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, which was basically a letter to the king of Great Britain saying, 'We want to be our own country.' Great Britain didn't listen and they tried to control these 'libertarians,' but they gave up when they were wasting too many resources on the war. Now, America is its own country." Owen had walked away in the middle of Dylan's little history lesson, but the raptors stared at him with widened and amazed eyes. But then, Orion asked a question that confused even Dylan. "If owning other things is so wrong, why do people own us?" The siblings nodded in agreement. Dylan hummed and said, "People don't own you; they just like to think they do." Orion snorted and said, "Of course; humans like to be in control of everything, don't they?" Dylan hummed again, but this time in amusement. But he then realized something. "Well, I never got an answer from any of you; you guys wanna head down to Owen's place later today for the 4th?" Orion looked at the sisters, who looked back at him for guidance. "Well, if it means a lot to you, we'll go," he finally said. Dylan smiled and said, "Alright, then. See you guys later."

M

"Hey, Claire," said Dylan as the redhead drove up to the little bungalow with Barry in the passenger seat. "Long time no see." "No kidding," said Claire with a smile. She was driving in a white car that didn't scream "rich" or "bitch," and the five raptors slid to a stop on the dirt road behind the car. "Hey, guys," he said to them. "Hey," Orion replied. Claire rolled up her window, turned the car off, and stepped out with Barry. She embraced Dylan and asked, "Where's Owen?" Dylan almost forgot about Owen and Claire being together. Almost. "He's inside," he said, breaking the hug. He turned away from her as he greeted Barry with a hug, and she turned to head into the bungalow. Dylan broke the hug as he saw the moon in the evening sky. "What time did they say the fireworks would be starting?" he asked. "In about two hours," Barry replied. "What's starting in two hours?" asked Blue. "Fireworks," Dylan replied. The siblings and Orion looked at him inquisitively, but he didn't go further into detail and instead continued to talk to Barry as a smell wafted from a grill about fifty feet from them.

"Man, that smells good," said Dylan."Yes it does; Owen always makes the best burgers," Barry replied as Claire came out with multiple toppings in her hands, followed by Owen with even more toppings in his hands. "Oh, hey, Barry," said Owen as he set the toppings down on a pop-up table that was set up next to the grill as Barry approached him. Owen met the man halfway and embraced him as the girls tentatively moved towards the grill. "What is that?" asked Charlie quietly. "I don't know," Blue replied. "Is it dangerous?" asked Echo. "I smell smoke," said Delta. Orion just stayed by Dylan's side with amusement twinkling in his eyes. It was then that Leon and his big brother, Stanley, showed up in a black pickup truck. Owen greeted Leon as Stanley parked the car next to the tree Owen's bike was propped up against. Shortly after, Dylan's replacement for engineering, Sebastian Hughes, showed up and greeted everyone as he parked his red Charger next to the pickup. As Barry put a radio on the table and turned on a random station.

A couple more people showed up for the next hour, and they were surprisingly calm around the raptors, and everyone all but forgot about them as Owen yelled, "The food's done!" They practically mobbed Owen for his Jurassic-World famous burgers and hot dogs, as well as chips, beer, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and all the toppings him and Claire brought out, which included ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles, jalapeños, and sliced avocados. It was late in the evening, and the sun had already disappeared behind the trees, turning the sky into a beautiful mural of Mother Nature's doing. Dylan sat by Sebastian and Orion for most of the time, the two humans filling Orion in on what's been happening lately in the world of metal; Orion fell in love with everything about the genre as soon as Dylan had him listen to a bit of Metallica. As soon as the humans got their food, Orion looked back at the grill and at Dylan's hot dog, which was topped Chicago-style. "You want one?" he asked the intrigued raptor. He nodded and Dylan got him a hot dog. Orion took a cautious taste, but soon wolfed it down when he found he enjoyed the taste. Dylan and Sebastian laughed and Dylan got a couple more hot dogs, as well as chips, beer, and mac-n'-cheese for himself and Sebastian.

Right on schedule, the intercoms announced the beginning of the fireworks show in five minutes. Dylan was suddenly worried about how Orion and the girls would react to the fireworks, as well as the Indominus and Indoraptor, who were each in their respective paddock. When Orion looked at him inquisitively, he tried to figure out how to keep Orion calm, but surprise him as well. "You know I'm here, right? I'm not gonna let anything hurt you, okay?" Orion looked confused, but nodded anyways. Owen grouped Echo and Charlie around him; Delta went over to Barry and Blue walked over to Dylan and Sebastian, taking a spot by Dylan's side opposite of Orion. "What're you doing over here? Is Owen too boring for you?" he asked Blue jokingly. "No, I just wanted to be over here with you and Orion," she replied. Dylan laughed and said, "Get ready for either the best or worst night of your lives." Orion and Blue looked confused, but the intercom came on again and the national anthem came on. Everyone there stood up to face the flag Owen had put out, and those with hats took them off; even the five raptors stood tall as the national anthem rang out. Dylan stood in full salute as he silently thanked those who served his country, i.e. the Navy men; Owen and his late brother, Joseph.

When the national anthem ended, the first flash of light exploded in the air, followed by a loud boom. Everyone on Owen's front lawn cheered with excitement as another firework was set off, followed by another. Then another. Then another. After about the sixth firework, Dylan felt the trembling of either raptors by his sides, who were curled up into his sides. "Hey, guys, it's okay, the fireworks aren't gonna hurt you," said Dylan as another firework went off. Orion tentatively looked up at the sky, still trembling, as a beautiful red-white-and-blue firework painted the sky with color and another boom echoed across Isla Nublar. The trembling on his right side stopped as Orion stared at the firework for as long as it was in the air.

"It's… beautiful," he said. Dylan flashed a warm grin and looked up at the sky as another boom sounded, making Orion jump, and Blue squeal. Suddenly, a firework exploded and Blue made to hiss at the sky, but stopped at the magnificent color now painting the sky. "It's blue," she said stupidly. "Yeah, just like you!" Dylan encouraged. Blue soon stopped shaking as well and watched the fireworks show with Dylan and Orion as more colors painted the sky, and large booms following each explosion of light. Suddenly, a scream filled the air as a firework shot up in the sky like a tornado, but it didn't explode. Blue and Orion looked confused, so Dylan said, "I call that one a "screamer," and it's just that." Orion and Blue looked to the sky as a couple more screamers went off, as well as more fireworks. They watched the sky for what seemed like hours, basking in the beauty of the fireworks. The ground trembled as a flurry of fireworks shot up in the air, lighting up the lawn as if it were in broad daylight; it was the finale. Dylan and Sebastian cheered at the sheer amount of fireworks being shot up. The finale went on for about five minutes, and everyone was disappointed when it ended, but it sure beat everything Dylan's ever seen. "That's gotta be the best damn fireworks show I've ever seen," he said. Sebastian laughed and said, "Yeah, that was amazing."

Within twenty minutes, everyone but Barry, Claire, and Sebastian had left in favor of their beds, and the five humans continued to drink and talk. But Dylan said he had to go, and he really did; he wanted to check up on the Indominus and Indoraptor to see if they were okay. He led the raptors back to their paddock and sped off to the hybrids' paddocks, which were right next to each other. "What a night that was…" he said to himself as he stopped in front of the Indominus paddock. He unlocked the door to the control room, and what he saw when he stepped in amazed him to no end; the Indominus was sleeping out in the open. He opened one of the windows and carefully whispered, "Nix." That was the name he had given her almost three years ago, and it was one she liked; it meant "snow" in Latin, and he named her that because of the snowy color of her scales. One of her crimson eyes crept open. "What happens to people that disturb me when I sleep?" she asked the man. "I know, I know; I was just worried about you is all," Dylan replied. "How sweet of you," said Nix sarcastically. "What happens to dinosaurs that get an attitude with me?" Dylan asked. Nix snorted and said, "First off, I'm not technically a dinosaur, and second, why would you be worried about me? Does it have to do with those big, colorful booms?" Dylan nodded, and Nix said, "I'm fine with it, but you might want to check on Thirío; he's a big chicken, after all." Dylan smiled and said, "Alright, good night Nix." She huffed and Dylan closed the window.

He walked back outside and closed the door, making sure to lock it as he walked over to the Indoraptor's paddock. When he opened the door, he was greeted with a startled shriek. He barely had a chance to close the man-sized access point to the paddock before he was tackled into a hug by a trembling Indoraptor. "Alright, it's okay, Thi; nothing's wrong," Dylan comforted. The Indoraptor, which Dylan had named Thirío, which meant "beast" in Greek, was shaking and crying in Dylan's arms. "What were those big booms? They scared me! Are you okay? Did the big booms get you?" he asked Dylan, lifting himself up to look Dylan over. Dylan chuckled and got up; for someone he named "beast," he sure wasn't acting like it.

Thirío eventually calmed down and fell asleep, at which point Dylan exited the paddock and drove back to his house. He opened the door, which was unlocked for some reason. "Weird," he said to himself. He entered his home and turned on the lights, bathing his three-room bungalow in light. But what he saw surprised him. "Orion?!" he asked. And, sure enough, the raptor was right there, on his bed watching TV. The raptor jumped up at the sudden shout, and damn near tore up Dylan's lucky hat, which was on a stand next to his bed. "What in the hell are you doing here?!" he asked the sheepish raptor. "I-I was just l-looking for you! I was a b-bit lonely, even with the girls…" he said quietly. Dylan huffed and cursed under his breath. "Are you mad at me?" asked the raptor nervously. Dylan walked into the kitchen to show Orion just how mad he was at the raptor. He opened the fridge and pulled out what remained of his chocolate birthday cake. He put the cake on a paper plate and walked back to Orion.

"Of course not; I was just a bit startled," he said as he offered the plate to Orion. The raptor looked about ready to burst into tears as he jumped up and wrapped Dylan in a fierce hug. Dylan dropped the cake as a result and cursed himself for being so careless. Orion broke the hug and Dylan stared at the cake. "Oh, Ri… I'm so sorry," he said as he looked back at the raptor; Ri was the nickname Dylan had given Orion. Orion smiled gently and said, "Don't worry about it." Dylan huffed in relief and picked up the smooshed cake, throwing in in the trash. "A good cake… wasted," said Dylan.

He then took off his shirt, tossing in into his hamper and made his way to the light switch. He turned off the light and took off his shoes, leaving them by the door. He then took off his shorts and socks, tossing both in the hamper. He took off his translator and placed it on his bedside charger. "Move it," he said to Orion. The raptor moved over and left a spot for Dylan on the bed, which Dylan happily climbed into. He pulled the blankets over his near-naked form and took his glasses off, placing them next to the charging translator. "G'night, Ri," he said to the raptor. Orion gently crooned back, which Dylan took as "good night." Dylan smiled and cuddled up to the raptor, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

M

This isn't meant to be a story; it's just something short and quick I did for fun, but if you want me to make another chapter with a lemon, I'll be sure to do so. Also, Nix and Thirío will be making an appearance in \VR-01_\, so make sure to read that story as well; the next chapter will be out either tomorrow or the day after. Thanks for reading!