Somebody to Die For - Jurassic World

by ashwoodx

"Everyone has somebody to die for. You're my somebody." Gray Mitchell is still terrified of water. He goes to spend the remainder of the summer at his older brother's house and tries his best to keep his fear a secret. But, when it all comes crashing down in the middle of his first night, he realizes that Zach is willing to help him out.

15. Chapter 15

1 Year and 7 Months Ago

"Okay, turn toward the mirror," Zach instructs firmly, beginning to ruffle the back of Gray's shirt as he blows the hair dryer on the soaked fabric. "Sorry, bud. That's about as good as I can do with this shitty thing." He places the blow dryer in its rightful place on the counter and clutches onto Gray's arms, spinning the 11-year-old around to face him. "You alright? You haven't said much."

Gray shrugs lightly and averts his eyes towards the carpet. "I don't know," he whispers softly, "Scared, I guess. No, not scared. Terrified. Absolutely terrified."

Zach chuckles softly, gently rubbing Gray's back. "Me too, bro. Me too." He tugs the 11-year-old into a tight embrace and begins to soothingly card his fingers through his brother's hair. "We'll be fine, G. You know that, right?"

Before the youngest can reply, Scott gently pushes through the bathroom door, scanning over each of his sons. He watches as Zach pulls away from Gray and gingerly pats his back. "So, we didn't really get around to eating lunch. You guys wanna go check out the boat? See if there's any non-dinosaur-shaped food around?"

Zach glances down at Gray, waiting for his acceptance. "It's up to you, lil' bro. I don't care either way." When he nods, Zach places his hand on the younger's shoulder and leads him out the door, trailing their father.

Once the three of them reach the deck, Gray immediately flinches at the salty smell of the ocean and recoils. "I think I'll just stay here. You guys go on." His voice shakes as Zach pulls him out the door, shielding his eyes.

"It's okay, Gray. You won't see it."

I know this is very very very very short, but it has a reason for being here and is a complete (yet purposely fragmented) flashback, so I decided that I'd just post it anyway instead of tacking it onto the next chapter :)