I've spent the last... I don't know. Week or however long writing zombies again. I'm having a hard time balancing zombies and raptors. 8D Maybe I need to mix them and write about zombie raptors. Yes. This is a good idea.

Raptor
Chapter 14: Scatter

Zach yawned and rubbed at his eyes for a moment. It was early. It was way too early. And Gray was banging on the door. Loudly. His head still felt a little foggy from the painkillers. He breathed out and leaned his hands on the counter. He closed his eyes. He was tired. He hadn't slept well. Not after Owen was chased out of their hotel room. Claire had left shortly after that and the brothers were left alone for the rest of the night. They called their mom and told her the half truth, that Zach had been pushed roughly and hurt his back. But he got checked by a doctor and Claire was there and he was fine. She told him to take it easy and keep her updated if it gets worse. Then they ordered room service, again, and enjoyed charging it to Claire's card. And then went to bed early, since they had to be up early. But Zach had spent most of the night flipping through the channels on the TV. Because he couldn't sleep. He couldn't get comfortable. And when he finally did and fell asleep, he woke up an hour later when he rolled over in his sleep.

"We have to hurry!" Gray hollered, banging on the door again. "It's 6, Zach!"

"Hang on!" Zach called back. He opened his eyes and breathed out. He had no clue how he was going to get through the day. He was almost considering crawling back in bed and just staying there. Because eventually, he'd just be so exhausted, he'd pass out and finally sleep. But if he did that, he wouldn't see Owen. And he really wanted to see Owen. Oh god, he wanted to see Owen. Owen, who had saved him and practically carried him. And touched him. And filled his brief moments of sleep with dreams that did things to him. That part of his body didn't seem to mind that he was in pain. He staggered to the bathroom more than once. It was awkward and rushed but it wouldn't be the first time. And he didn't want to wake Gray.

Zach blinked and stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He'd washed and blown dry his short hair, tried to give it that natural rolled out of bed look. He'd changed his clothes at least five times and glared at his suitcase and wished he'd brought more clothes. Not that he'd ever really cared much. But now, he suddenly cared and he felt a bit lost. He wasn't even entirely sure why. But Gray was getting impatient and he was right. It was now past 6 and he didn't want to keep Owen waiting. Well... maybe he did a little, but not too long. Zach leaned back a bit. He twisted just the tiniest bit one way and then turned the other, trying to stretch slowly.

"Zach!"

He smiled for a moment as he turned towards the door. Okay, that was long enough. He frowned as he pulled the door open.

Gray glared up at him. "What took you so long?" The younger brother whined.

Zach pushed past him and headed towards his bed. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand. "Brushing my teeth." He mumbled.

Gray followed, a step behind him. "We were supposed to be downstairs five minutes ago!"

Zach turned and pointed to the door. "Then stop yapping and let's go."

They headed down the hall and hopped on the elevator. Gray practically ran and then bounced in place once the doors shut. It seemed to take the thing forever before it stopped and the doors opened. Owen was already there, leaning against the front counter, his back to them. And Zach stopped for a moment. He couldn't see Owen's expression but the girl behind the counter appeared to be smiling and laughing as the man leaned there. And suddenly, Zach felt silly. Really silly. Owen was clearly just an overly nice, sort of bordering on flirting with everyone kind of guy. Owen probably wasn't even really flirting with him yesterday. Why would he? Plus the guy was clearly crazy.

Gray darted forward the moment he saw. "Owen!" He called loudly and waved his arms. "Sorry we're late!"

Owen turned slightly and smiled down at Gray. The girl was already forgotten and had stepped away. He reached out and ruffled the kid's hair. Gray laughed and pushed his hand away. And Owen laughed. "Was starting to think I'd been stood up." He said lightly.

Gray's mouth fell open and he shook his head quickly. "Zach took forever to get ready!" He whined loudly.

Zach's eyes widened. "Did not." He mumbled. His eyes were on the ground and his hands were shoved in his pockets as he walked over.

Owen shifted his weight as he lifted his gaze. "Hey, you okay?" He asked softly, sounding like he genuinely cared.

Zach glanced up at him and nodded. And that was a mistake. Because suddenly Owen was smiling at him in that big, over the top way of his. He could feel Owen's eyes on him, looking him up and down for a moment and still smiling. And Zach felt weak in the knees. It wasn't an entirely unwelcomed feeling, although collapsing on the ground again in the man's presence didn't really sound appealing. Zach didn't want the ex-Navy man to think he was some clumsy little weakling that couldn't walk or do anything. Zach may not have been the star athlete in his father's eyes, but he wasn't fragile.

Owen took a step towards Zach, crowding into his space a bit. "You sure?" He pressed, his voice still low.

"Fine." Zach mumbled, his eyes on the floor. He fought the urge to shrink back. Owen was really close. Zach would feel him, standing there.

"You let me know if it gets too much for you."

Zach nodded slowly and turned to the side. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pretended to check something. He stared at it for a second too long before he swiped his fingers across it.

Owen stepped back, a smile still on his face. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. "Though what I have planned mostly involves sitting."

"Sitting?" Zach repeated, still not looking up.

"Watching you with your raptors?" Gray asked. "From the ground, right?"

"Well, yeah." Owen tilted his head, glancing down at Gray. "Later. I had an idea." He smiled. "Thought we'd start with the gyrospheres."

Zach frowned. "It's like 6 am."

"Actually..." Owen said, glancing back at Zach with his annoying smile. "It's like a quarter after because someone wanted to play girl this morning."

Zach's mouth dropped open and his eyes snapped up. "It wasn't... I was just... moving slowly." He mumbled.

Owen was still smiling as he watched Zach. "Anyways... no, normally the gyro isn't running now. But I called some people last night and we can take a couple out when we get there."

"So we'll be the only ones there?" Gray sounded excited.

Zach suppressed the urge to smile, because maybe it did sound fun. Going out, so early in the morning, before it even opened. Without other people getting in the way. Instead, he rolled his eyes and turned away. He shoved his phone in his pocket. "Whatever we do, we better go before aunt Claire shows up."

Owen nodded his head as he pushed off the counter. He smiled as he turned to Gray. "What kinda dinosaur works for the police?"

Gray tilted his head, thinking. "What?"

"A tricera-cop." Owen answered. Gray giggled and Zach just shook his head. "Okay, come on." Owen said, waving. "Outside." Owen led the brother's outside to a park jeep that looked slightly different from the one yesterday. Zach swore there was a different number painted on the side and he wished he'd been paying attention yesterday. Gray didn't seem to spare a second thought as he climbed in the back this time, next to a small duffle bag. Zach climbed in the front, moving a bit more slow.

They arrived at the gyrosphere ride a few minutes later. This early in the morning, there was no traffic, no lines, no people. Just the single guy standing and waiting before two of the large, spherical car things. The unnamed guy ushered the brothers into one ball and Owen climbed in the other. "If anyone asks..." The guy said, walking backwards slowly. "I wasn't here."

Owen set his bag in the other seat as the door to his ball closed. He could see the brothers, sitting in their ball and watching him curiously. He held up his finger and then hit the display. He typed in the control room number and waited. A few minutes ticked by before a voice answered.

"Owen! That you?"

Owen smiled. "Yeah, Lowery." He answered. "Who else would be up this early, calling you from the hamster ball?"

Lowery let out a laugh. "Dude!"

Owen smiled and shook his head. "Glad you got my message."

"Yeah. Whatcha need?" Lowery asked.

"Patch my audio into the other active gyro." Owen said. "I think it's number 3. I got Claire's nephews with me."

"Oh dude! Yeah, just a second." Lowery said. Owen could hear the clacking of keyboard strokes as the man continued to talk. "I heard about that. Saw the video of the kid falling. That looked pretty badass. And you in with Rexy. Man!" He exclaimed loudly. "Next time you pull something like that, bring me along. I mean... I wouldn't go in there with you. Or anywhere near you." He added. "But it'd still be cool to, you know, be invited."

Owen laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah, man. Sure thing. I'll give you a call next time."

"That's all I'm asking for." Lowery said. "Okay. Is it working?"

"I don't know." Owen said, glancing over at the other gyro. "Gray, Zach? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, we're here." Gray answered and lifted his hand to wave.

Zach looked over at him, smiling. "Just listening to your fan-club."

"Dude! Totally fan-clubbing here." Lowery said with a laugh. "It was pretty badass."

"Didn't feel so badass." Zach said, a slight edge to his voice.

"Well... no." Lowery answered quickly. "Not from your perspective, no. But from up here, was pretty cool. I mean... not the falling in part. The falling in part wasn't cool."

Zach rolled his eyes. "I didn't fall in!" He snapped. "That dude pushed me!"

"Fall, push, either way..." Lowery continued. "That part wasn't the cool part. The cool part was after, when Owen totally jumped in there and..."

Owen rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Lowery!" He said the man's name loudly, interrupting him. "We need to get going."

"Oh yeah." Lowery said. "Sure, dude."

"Lowery works in the control room." Owen explained.

"Really?" Gray sounded excited. "The control room for the whole island?"

Owen nodded his head, "Yeah, kid. He gets... overly excited."

Lowery laughed. "It's true, dude. On both points."

"Lowery!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll shut up now."

Owen smiled. "Zach. See the handle? Push it forward and follow me." Owen rolled off and the brothers followed. "Play the video for them. Gray'll get a kick out of it." Owen listened to the video. He'd seen it several times. He smiled as he heard the brothers laugh. He weaved a path, zigzagging back and forth. It was still early in the morning and the dinosaurs were all asleep. Owen slowed and pulled up when they reached a gate. "Lowery? Got eyes on us still?"

"Yeah." The man answered after a moment.

"Open the gate." He said.

Lowery paused for a moment. "Claire's not gonna be too happy."

"Fine." Owen said smoothly. "Don't. Just thought, you know, we were friends."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Lowery said, a tad sulkily. "Give me a second."

Owen smiled to himself as the gate slid open slowly. He glanced over his shoulder at the other ball. "Come on. Off road." They moved through the trees easily. Zach and Gray pulled ahead of Owen suddenly. And then they raced through the silent forest. Owen showed them a nest of sleeping stegosaurus. "What do you call a dinosaur that left it's armor out in the rain?"

"What?" Gray asked.

"A stegosau-rust." Owen answered. Then they nearly ran into a couple waking triceratops. "What does a triceratops sit on?" Owen asked as they sped off.

"It's ass." Zach answered.

"Bottom!" Gray said. "Oh! It's tricera-bottom!"

Owen laughed and took them deeper into part of the island that the gyros don't go. They rolled out of the jungle and out into an open part of the island. The monorail ran overtop them as they zigzagged towards a herd of brachiosaurs. Owen pointed the largest one out. "That's Big Foot." He said. "She's way old, from the original park, like Rexy."

"Big Foot?" Zach repeated, looking up at the very large dinosaur. Who could easily crush them in their ball. He swallowed nervously as he steered them back a bit, out of her way.

"Like Little Foot?" Gray asked. "The cartoon one?"

"Sort of." Owen said. "That and you know, Big Foot." He laughed and sped under one of said large feet. Then he spun around and started circling around and under all her feet. "Why did the brachiosaurus devour the factory?"

Zach held his breath for a moment as he watched Owen's gyro ball zigzagging. "Because an annoying factory worker was trying to trip her?"

Owen laughed as he steered back towards the brothers. "Because she was a plant eater."

Gray wrinkled his nose and snorted back laughter. "That one was bad."

Zach smiled. "They're all bad."

"You're wrong!" Owen said, shaking his head. "They're all awesome! Now come on. Somewhere I want to show you guys." Owen sped off and they followed. Lowery let them out of another gate, with another warning, this one slightly more ominous. Because he mentioned them being off the park property. And that sounded dangerous and made them nervous. But Owen just laughed and thanked the man. And rolled off.

Zach really had no choice but to follow and trust that the man knew where they were going and how to get back. He glanced sideways at Gray and the kid's face was practically plastered to the transparent wall, gazing out. His camera was out and he was flashing pictures, like he had been the whole ride. For a moment, Zach smiled, watching him. Gray looked so happy. Quiet, for once, and happy.

"Come on!" Owen said over the line. "Give it some gas." Zach did just that and the two gyros sped off. They raced and rolled and laughed and were having a blast. All three of them. It was nearly a half hour later when Owen finally slowed his ball and pulled it to a stop. The brothers followed and looked up. They were at the base of the volcano. Owen wasn't completely sure why he'd wanted to take them there so bad. But he had, so he did. He popped open the ball and stepped out. He turned and waved at the brothers.

Zach frowned for a moment, holding his arm out to stop Gray from moving. "Is it... safe?" He asked loudly.

Owen nodded his head. "Yeah, no animals out here." He said. "Other than normal animals. Squirrels, rabbits, tree frogs, couple wild pigs. Once saw a monkey. But none of the dinos are out here."

Zach popped the door open and Gray jumped out immediately. Zach moved a little slower as he stepped out. He paused and stretched for a moment. He was a bit stiff, but overall good. At least good for having sat in the ball for the past hour.

Gray was spinning around, taking pictures of everything. "This is awesome!" He said. "Do you come out here a lot?"

Owen grabbed the bag from his ball. He threw it over his shoulder and turned. "Used to." He said. "When the raptors were younger. There's a cave at the base of the volcano I used to bring them to. We'd hide out for a bit."

Gray turned and looked up at the large volcano in front of them. "Can we see?"

Owen nodded and turned to Zach. "You okay with walking?"

Zach nodded. "Yeah."

"How far is it?" Gray asked and ran to catch up with Owen as the man started off. Gray lapsed into questions again. About this part of the island, about the volcano, about the first time Owen had been there.

Zach fell in step on Gray's other side, away from Owen. He kept his head down, making sure he didn't get caught on anything and trip. He was determined to make sure this man who moved like the jungle didn't think him clumsy. But he kept his ears open and focused on Owen's voice. He loved listening to the man talk.

They arrived at the cave and Owen surprised them with a picnic. He had a blanket packed inside his bag, some water bottles, and some food he stole from the hotel kitchen. Nothing fancy. Just some sandwiches, chips, cookies, and fruit. But they sat on the blanket, spread across the cave floor, and ate. And it was nice. It was really nice. It was weird and comforting to Owen, having Zach there. And having Gray there, too. He felt oddly attached to Gray, too, in a much different way. But Owen didn't really have a chance to think about either of those facts. Because Gray was talking. Again. This time, about himself. About school and home and the time he apparently saved Iron Man.

After about an hour, Owen got a panicked call from Lowery. Claire was stomping around the control room, angry that her nephews were missing and wanting to know where they were. Lowery hadn't told, he assured him, but Claire also hadn't asked him directly. And Lowery was a tiny bit scared of her. Everyone sort of was. Owen and the brothers packed everything back up and headed back to the gyrospheres. They'd been gone long enough. They climbed back into the balls and raced back to the fences. Lowery let them back inside and they hurried to the gyro field.

It was almost 10 when they popped out of the balls. Owen smiled at the ride operator. He clapped the man on the shoulder and smiled. "Thanks." Then they headed to the jeep and went to the raptor paddock. Owen knew hiding from Claire when she really wanted to find them would be much easier out at his volcano. But he very well couldn't hide from Claire all day. And any longer, she might get really worried and upset. And that would be bad for everyone involved. So hiding out at the raptor paddock seemed like the best place for her to find them. Plus, that's where Owen promised to take the brothers anyways.

Echo was at the fence when they arrived, practically wagging her tail. Owen laughed and waved the boys forward after they got out. Gray stepped forward eagerly but Zach hung back a bit. The other raptors appeared at the fence. They stared at the mostly-strangers curiously. "Okay." Owen said, clapping his hands together. "How about we all sit down and watch a movie, huh?"

"A movie?" Zach repeated. "What movie?"

Owen slipped inside the cage. He rolled out the TV and set it up a few feet from the fence. Echo immediately pranced over and dropped down between the TV and the fence. Owen smiled and set the remote on the ground in front of Echo. "Try not to break it." Then he came back out. He pulled out chairs, setting them beside each other a good five feet from the fence. Owen sunk down in the last chair. He leaned back slightly and stretched out his legs, getting comfortable.

Gray looked over at the raptors and then back at Owen. "Can I sit closer?" He asked.

Owen looked over at Blue. She bobbed her head and snorted. "Couple feet, okay?" Gray smiled and grabbed one of the chairs and moved closer. Which left the empty chair beside Owen free. Zach slowly eased down in it. And then the movie started.

[Again! Again!] Echo chirped when Finding Nemo finished. She bounced up and pressed against the fence.

Owen rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No, Echo. Not again."

Echo sunk to the ground and pouted.

Owen rolled his eyes again and checked the time. He was actually surprised Claire hadn't found them yet. He was certain they wouldn't make it through the whole cartoon before she showed up. "Okay. You can watch one more movie, then it's time for drills. But you can't pick it!" He said, pointing at her. "Give the remote to Gray. He can pick it."

Echo pouted more. Charlie reached over and nudged the remote away from Echo. She picked up it up gently in her teeth. She stepped closer to the fence and pushed the remote through. She held the end steady. Gray looked back at Owen and Owen nodded. Gray stood up and stepped right up to the fence. He grabbed the remote and Charlie let it go and returned to her spot on the ground beside Echo. Zach watched him and sucked in a breath.

Owen caught it and nudged him gently. "Kid's fine." He whispered, leaning closer. "You're both in."

Zach glanced at Owen. "We're in?" He repeated.

Owen nodded, still keeping his voice low. "Blue may think she's in charge, but Echo's the baby. Usually gets whatever she wants. Always been spoiled rotten. You get in with her, you're golden. And the way to get in with Echo, is to watch Finding Nemo."

"Seriously?" Zach shook his head. "That's it? Watch a dumb cartoon and they won't eat me?"

"Do not let her hear you call it dumb!" Owen warned with a smile. "And... I wouldn't say that. They've forgiven you. I mean... you're not allowed back in the cage, if I was crazy enough to let you. But they'll let you up to the fence and not growl and attack and shit... stuff anymore." Owen paused for a moment. "Well... Blue might a bit. So she can assert her dominance. But yeah. Basically. You're friends now."

There was a loud growl and they both looked back at Gray. He was looking over at Blue. "So that's a no?" Gray asked.

"Blue!" Owen snapped. "Gray has the remote, not you! Let him pick!"

Blue snorted and shook her head. She turned slightly and put her back to the TV. After a few minutes, Gray and the raptors settled on a movie. Gray hit play and pulled his chair right up to the fence. He sat down.

Zach pulled out his phone as it suddenly beeped. He glared down at it and let out a sigh.

Owen glanced at him sideways, watching him. "Your girlfriend?" Owen tried to sound casual as he asked. And tried not to sound too interested. But he was interested. Because Owen was pretty damn certain Zach had been checking him out every chance he got since they second he arrived. And most of the time, none too subtle about it. But the kid was young. He might be trying to figure himself out still. Or lying or into both or something.

Zach nodded and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

"So you got a little girlfriend, huh?" He bumped his shoulder into Zach's lightly. He probably shouldn't have. He wasn't really sure why he had.

The kid's face broke out in a blush, the red hue creeping up to his ears. "Not... really." Zach said slowly.

Owen frowned for a moment. "How do you not really have a girlfriend?"

Zach shrugged. "She's more... of a cover." He said, glancing sideways at Owen.

Owen opened his mouth. Then shut it and looked away. Did the kid just admit he was gay? Or at least into guys as well. Owen felt his mouth go dry. He suspected it, of course. Zach was not subtle. But to hear it... to hear Zach sort of admit it... the wheels were turning in Owen's head. And it wasn't good. Because he really liked hearing the confirmation. He turned away from Zach completely. He swallowed, his throat just as dry. He moved his tongue around his mouth, licked his lips, and still felt like he could drink Moe's tank.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Zach's voice cut through his thoughts.

Owen shook his head, too afraid of his voice shaking to answer.

Zach leaned in closer. "Do you have... a boyfriend?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Owen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In and out. He needed to calm down, needed to relax before something bad happened. Like raptoring out in front of them. And the cameras. Or like grabbing the kid. "No." He whispered.

"That's good..." Zach said softly. "To know."

Owen could feel Zach beside him, could smell him. Owen felt like every nerve in his body was attuned to the kid beside him. The kid. Kid, kid, kid! He shouted in his head. This was a kid. A flirty kid with boundary issues, obviously. But still a kid. Owen wasn't completely sure exactly how old he was. But still a kid! Who was still in high school. And the nephew of his boss.

And then Zach touched him. He wasn't sure if it was the kid's hand or his leg or what, but some part of him touched Owen's leg. Owen jumped up, knocking his chair over in the process. Zach looked up at him, a bit startled. Gray was looking at him. And all the raptors were, as well.

Charlie tilted her head. [Alpha?]

Owen swallowed and looked at the raptors. "Blue, meet me at the back gate. Rest of you can stay and finish the movie, Okay? Great!" He clapped his hands together and turned without waiting for a response.

Zach watched him for a moment. He smiled and leaned back in his chair. He felt a little bad for making the man uncomfortable. Just a tiny bit. Owen had started it anyways, asking about Zach's girlfriend. It was all the man's fault. Zach turned to look at Gray and the raptors behind him. Blue seemed to be glaring at him. Zach frowned a bit, watching her turn and sprint off.

"What happened?" Gray asked.

Zach shrugged. He wasn't sure what had come over him. That was more bold than he'd ever been. But after a couple weeks, he'd be back home and never see the man again. So what was some harmless flirting and teasing? He was certain Owen wouldn't tell aunt Claire. So he smiled again and nodded at Gray. "Finish the dumb movie."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: Stay turned while we continue with the flirting. And other stuff.