Woot! Woot! Another story down the hatch. This one is even a bit more original!
Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since my last story. I still don't own the Titans!
Laughter and screaming could be heard as the team entered the gate.
"Alright guys remember, we are taking a break so that means, no powers." Robin started, "If anyone uses them, he or she will have dishes for two weeks. Cyborg."
Cyborg walked to each member and clipped a small bracelet on their wrist.
"These will notify us if someone uses their powers, so don't think you can get away with it." He glanced at Beast Boy.
"Hey! Why are you looking at me, what about Raven?" He pointed an accusing finger at the girl who was still floating above the ground before he rose his hand.
"You really think Raven is going to risk two weeks of washing our dishes?
"Anyway," Robin interrupted, "Aside from that, the day is yours. Do whatever you want. Just meet back here at 10:30." He was then dragged away by an excited Starfire whom mentioned something about wanting to try "the cake of the funnel". Raven then began walking in the other direction not saying a word.
"Woah, Raven. Wait up!" Beast Boy called running to her, "So, Cy and I were going to try the new coaster, Thrasher and I was wondering if you wanted to come with us?"
"Gee, sounds thrilling." She responds, not taking her eyes from in front of her.
"Come on, please?"
"All I want to do is find a quiet corner and read my book."
"Amusement parks are kind of a waste on you, Rae." An idea crosses his mind, "Hey, tell you what. You go on this one coaster with us, and I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day so you can read your book." That didn't sound like a bad deal.
"Fine." This one simply phrase from Raven made Beast Boy's day. Cyborg just caught up behind them.
"She say yes?" He asked. Beast Boy nodded. "How'd you manage that?"
"Oh you know, just some classic Beast Boy charm." If Raven had been able to use her powers, he definitely would have had something thrown at him.
They arrived to the line which actually went a few feet out of the line. Raven very obviously frowned. Perhaps this wasn't the best idea. Beast Boy and Cyborg seemed unfazed. Any wait was worth it to them apparently. This wait happened to be two hours. The time was spent by the two boys discussing video games and occasionally what they were excited to experience on the ride, while Raven was contemplating ways she could escape without them noticing. When they got near the front of the line, it split into many parts leading to different seats on the train. Unfortunately, it was only two to a row, so they needed to split up. Raven was eager to volunteer. Cyborg insisted he be the one as he would take up a lot of space anyway. They walked to a couple lines near the back of the train. Beast Boy and Raven in one, and Cyborg in the other. Just several people ahead of them. With each passing of the red train, anticipation grew. Well, not everyone's anticipation.
Soon, they were the front of the line. The red train stopped and the gate opened. Beast Boy turned to his right to look at Cyborg's face and realized they had miscounted. There was still a person in front of him.
"Cy..."
"It's alright, you two go ahead. I'll get the next one."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I mean I waited this long, right?"
"OK, see you on the other side." Beast Boy took his seat. Raven put her book in the loose item bin provided by the exit of the coaster, hoping it will still be there when she got back. She sat down next to Beast Boy.
"You ready?" He asked.
"The excitement is killing me."
"Could you at least pretend like you are having fun?"
Raven added a very lackluster "Woo."
Someone walked by to make sure all the restraints were working properly. In another minute, they were ready to go. Beast Boy took one last look at Cyborg and waved.
"Alright, we are already to go. Enjoy your ride." The attendant said. The ride began to move at a moderate speed, out of the station, and onto the first lift. It got about half way and Beast Boy looked as if he were about to explode. Then, suddenly, the coaster stopped dead in it's tracks. Raven only had one thing to say.
"Oh, No."
Raven sat silently back in her seat, hoping the ride would just start. They had said it would take 10 minutes. That 10 minutes turned into 20, then 30 and so on. The 80 degree weather was not helping, especially for Raven who insisted on bringing her hood despite wearing civilian clothes. At the 1 hour mark Beast Boy decided to start singing and, unfortunately, some other passengers sang along.
"I couldn't count the ways I love ya, but I'm gonna try anyway." He started.
"1 is your smile. The way it takes my breath away." A couple sang from a few rows forward. Beast Boy's face grew a huge smile.
"2, your eyes are like the ocean, and I wanna get lost in that sea." He sang back.
"3, your laugh brightens the world. The way it should always be." Several more erupted.
"Come on Rae, I know you can't deny the infectious rhythm." Beast Boy said. The crowd fell silent. Clearly, waiting for Raven to say the next line.
"Babe, if I counted the reasons, we'd be here all day." Raven mumbled through her teeth.
"Just know that you're the reason everything's OK." Beast Boy and several others joined in.
They all, sans Raven, sang the rest of the song and when it was finished, they started over again. It wasn't until the 5th time around that Beast Boy noticed the annoyed expression on Raven's face.
"It's not enough that that song's all that's on the radio, you have to sing it here too?"
"I'm just trying to help pass the time."
"Isn't there a more quiet way you could do that?"
"One more time!" A voice shouted from ahead.
Back in the line, Cyborg's foot was tapping. A voice came through the intercom.
"My apologies to those in line, but if we cannot get the ride to work within the next hour, we will have to ask all of you to leave." This announcement awarded a groan from many in the line, including Cyborg. He thought of Beast Boy and Raven. Everyone else seemed to be handling it well, with the singing and all. He just hoped Raven hadn't gone crazy.
The sound of singing still rang in her ears. Raven was beating her head against an invisible desk. It was clear to Beast Boy, at this point, how annoyed she was.
"I'm sorry I made you go on this ride with me. If I had known, I never would have asked." He couldn't tell if his words made any difference due to Raven's hood being up. After a few failed attempts at starting a conversation with her, he gave up and sat in silence. At least the singing had stopped.
Cyborg watched the clock as it got dangerously close to the hour. It was a funny feeling because he wanted time to go by quicker but at the same time, he didn't, because that might mean being completely unable to go on the ride. When the hour did come, he walked along with the other still in line toward the exit. He stopped right before the threshold. No, He decided. He didn't wait this long, just to be told to go away. He would go on the ride even if he had to fix it himself.
After the announcement telling the people in line to leave, there was a collective sigh from those on the coaster. That meant they probably still had a while to go. Beast Boy tried one more time to spark a conversation.
"So, what book did you bring here today?"
Raven didn't respond. She looked back down at the station. All she had wanted for today was to read her book. She heard someone from several rows ahead pick up the song again.
'No amount of dishes are worth this' she thought. A black portal opened from underneath her.
"Raven, what are you..."
And just like that, she was gone. She appeared in front of the article bin where, luckily, her book still was. She looked to the left and saw Cyborg fumbling with the ride's controls. He didn't seem to notice her. That was good. Raven could avoid getting lectured for using her powers. At least, for a little bit longer. She quickly walked down the exit path, not looking back.
The person near the front car was still going,
"4, the way you never..."
"Could you give it a rest already?" Beast Boy yelled over his seat. The singing stopped.
Cyborg worked at a blinding speed. The amusement park workers at never seen anything like it. He had the ride fully operational in half an hour.
"That was incredible!" A mechanic said, "We could use someone like you across the park. The Whirl N' Twirl is giving us some trouble." Cyborg took once last look at Thrasher. It would still be there when he got back. He stood up.
"I'll do it." The train began to move again as he left the station.
Cheering erupted from most every passenger when Thrasher began to move. However, not from Beast Boy. In another minute, the ride was over. But, Beast Boy hadn't enjoyed himself. He whipped out his communicator to figure out where Cyborg was. There wasn't an answer. Beast Boy decided to go on a few rides by himself to try to cheer up. After a few rounds of bumper cars and trip to the Whirl N' Twirl did nothing to improve his sour mood, he went to go eat. Maybe food could help.
After a little bit of reading, Raven's body reminded her that she had eaten practically nothing all day. She got out her park map and looked for what seemed to be the safest place to go. She noticed a pizza place close by. After all, it was hard to screw up pizza too terribly. She instantly appreciated the wave of cool air as she walked into the air conditioned building. She ordered a slice of cheese pizza then scanned the room for a seat. She noticed Beast Boy sitting alone in a corner. She sat in the chair across from him.
"Oh, now you want to spend time with me?" He said.
"What's your problem?"
"My problem?" He said loud enough for people on other tables to stare, "My problem Raven, is that you'd rather have 2 weeks of dishes than have to spend an afternoon with me."
"Beast Boy, that's not..."
"Really?" He got up and threw away his plate, "Then what was it Raven?" He stormed out of the restaurant. Raven put up her hood and quietly finished her pizza, trying to ignore the eyes of the others inside.
Beast Boy walked by dozens of bright, colorful rides. Under different circumstances, he would have been in heaven. Too much was on his mind. Was he really that much of a chore to hang out with? The only reason Raven even agreed to go on one ride with him was because he would leave her alone afterwards. They were friends, so why did it always feel like he was pulling teeth to get to spend time with her? He walked to the group's meeting spot and took a seat. There was nothing left to do but wait for the day to be over.
Raven walked out of the pizza place with still a few prying eyes on her. She needed to apologize to Beast Boy. She hadn't considered how her actions on the roller coaster might affect him. And when she did, she felt awful. She tried to call Beast Boy's communicator, not expecting an answer. He didn't pick up. Next, she tried Cyborg. He answered.
"Hey, have you seen Beast Boy?"
"No, I thought he was with you. How was the coaster?"
"I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I need to find Beast Boy."
"Alright, I need to help these guys repair a broken arcade game, so I'll talk to ya later."
Raven started looking for Beast Boy the old fashioned way. Going to all his favorite rides. She didn't bother calling Robin and Starfire, figuring they would be too focused on each other to know where Beast Boy is. Raven walked to ride after ride with no sign of him. After that, she started going to every place that served food he would eat. She had no luck until she was near the front of the park. She saw him on a bench near the team's meeting place. Raven took a deep breath and approached the bench.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think about what my actions would say or how they would affect you."
"It's okay. I shouldn't have expected you to go on the ride in the first place." His eyes remained downcast.
"So, are we good?"
"I guess, I don't know. It's just... It's just... I don't know if this is worth it."
"If what's worth it?"
"This. Being Friends. Every time I try to involve you in something, you end up not liking it. What's the point if we can't seem to do anything together? What's the point if we're both so different?"
"Maybe the best we will ever be able to do is to meet halfway."
"Is it really a friendship if we always have to force it?"
"I don't know, but I'm willing to keep trying if you are." She put her hand on top of Beast Boy's, prompting him to look up. He smiled. She removed her hand and placed it to the side of his.
"Want to try Thrasher again?" Raven asked.
"Love to."
Thrasher came to a screeching halt.
"So Rae, What did you think?"
"You go on these on purpose?" She deadpanned. Then, a small grin appeared on her face. The restraints came up and the two began towards the exit. "It was bad, but it wasn't two weeks of dishes bad." This comment reminded Beast Boy of Raven predicament. He morphed into a bird then morphed back.
"There, now you don't have to do it alone." The sun was just beginning to set. "We still have a few hours. Where to now?"
The sun had now set and the park was closed. The team had decided to meet in the parking lot, upon Raven's request, to avoid waiting at the entrance and getting caught up in the crowd. Robin and Starfire were the first to arrive at the T-car. Followed by Raven and Beast Boy. They all stood right outside the car.
"Raven, how was your day?" Robin asked.
"I got stuck on a rollercoaster with Beast Boy and made no progress in my book. What do you think?" She paused for a moment to see Robin's look of disappointment, "I had fun." Raven quickly said before getting in the backseat. Next, Cyborg came walking, wearing a crown and a large purple robe.
"Cy, what happened to you?"
"I'm not really sure Robin, but I think I became King of The Handymen."
Beast Boy walked over to Starfire.
"Hey Star, how was your day with Robin?"
"It was most wonderful! First, Robin showed me many of his favorite rides and then we had corn dogs and mustard for lunch. Then, at night, we rode the Tunnel of Love and..."
"Star, we don't need to tell them everything we did." Robin said as Cyborg clicked the bracelet off his wrist. Cyborg then opened his communicator to check if any one had used their powers. He was shocked to see that not one, but two had used their powers.
"Robin, check it out. It says both Raven and Beast Boy broke the rules."
"Well, I don't know what else to say but I hope you two can get along to get the good done." Beast Boy looked at Raven sitting alone in the car.
"Yeah me too." Beast Boy left Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg outside the car. He opened the backdoor opposite of Raven and sat down.
"You really didn't have to do that." Raven said
"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to. We'll be able to hang out and we won't even need to agree on something to do." For a moment, they enjoyed a moment of silence, despite the loud conversation going on right outside.
"Beast Boy?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm happy we're friends."
"Yeah, me too."
So, did you enjoy it? Are you sick of me? Please drop a review. I always love to hear from others.
Thanks for reading!