Author's Notes: Hello all! This is based off of something I saw while waiting in line for a ride at Cedar Point, found it rather sad and was inspired. This is set during Chase's childhood, when he's about five... maybe. Not sure. It's before his parents split, obviously, and I tried to lay some foreground for his parents. Frankly, I think his parents ended up being more central to the story than Chase is. Anyways. Enjoy!

Temper Tantrum

Robbie saw the napkin coming a mile away.

His eyes widened as it came to his face, dark with water from his mother’s cup of ice water, and he immediately put his hands in front of his face, squirming too late as he found his mother’s hand on his back. Trapped, he wriggled furiously as the wet napkin scrubbed his face free of the sticky blue cotton candy.

“Mum!” he whined, struggling to get free. “I’m clean enough!”

His mother released him, cupping a hand under his chin and smiling down at him. “There—all clean. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Yes,” Robbie muttered, glaring at her as he reached up to feel his freshly-scrubbed cheeks, which were still tingling from the rough napkin.

His mother laughed. “One of these days, Ducky, you’re going to thank me. All the girls will be dying to get at you and your cute little clean face.”

Robbie started licking his blue-stained fingers, the face-wiping incident all but forgotten. They still tasted like cotton candy. “I have a girlfriend,” he said. “Morgan said she was my girlfriend.”

“When did she say that?” his mother asked. She frowned at Robbie’s hands, and he immediately stopped sucking on his fingers lest she bring out the napkin to clean those, too. “You didn’t tell me about Morgan.”

Robbie tried to remember, but he couldn’t. “I don’t know,” he told his mother. “I give her my cookies every day at lunch. When’s Daddy coming back?”

“He has to wait in line, Ducky,” his mother said patiently. “Why do you give Morgan your cookies? Don’t you like them?”

Robbie screwed up his face. “She’s my girlfriend, and that’s what I’m supposed to do. Morgan said so, that’s why. Can you pack me two bags, so I can have one too?” He didn’t really like giving Morgan his cookies, but he wanted to be a good boyfriend. Otherwise... she wouldn’t be his girlfriend. So he had to give her his cookies, even though he didn’t want to.

“She’s absolutely right,” his mother said, nodding seriously. “You always keep your girlfriend happy, no matter what. It’ll make your life a lot easier.”

“Okay,” Robbie said, nodding his head too. Then he remembered something. “So can I have two bags of cookies? Please?”

His mother opened her mouth to respond, but familiar footsteps made Robbie whip his head around and forget about the cookies.

“Dad!” he shouted, jumping off his chair and bounding over to his father, who caught him around the middle and lifted him up into the air. Robbie squealed as his father began to tickle him. “Lemme go! Lemme go!” he pleaded, giggling uncontrollably. “Daddy”

“Rowan, stop it,” his mother hissed. “You’re making a scene!”

At those words, his father immediately stopped tickling him and Robbie’s laughter died. He was set down on the ground, still breathing hard and tripping a little as he tried to regain his balance. His father took his hand and led him over to where his mother was standing with her mouth twisted into a thin line.

“You need to relax, Hailey” his father said, pulling up on his arm. Robbie hung on to it, grinning as he father lifted him effortlessly off the ground with one arm. “Today’s a vacation. We’re supposed to be having fun.”

His mother sighed, and Robbie waved at her with his free hand, kicking his legs in midair as he clutched his father’s hand tightly.

“Well, don’t pull him up like that,” his mother said finally. “One of these days, he’s going to fall and break something.”

“Daddy!” Robbie protested as he was returned to earth, his legs feeling unsteady as they hit the cement. He gripped his father’s jeans for a moment so he wouldn’t fall over, and then looked up. “What next? Can we go on another ride?”

His father grinned. “I know which one we should do next. Where’s the map at?”

“What’s it called?” Robbie asked as his mother began fishing through her purse for the brightly colored map they’d gotten when they had given the man their tickets at the front of the park. “Daddy, what’s it called? Does it go fast?” He jumped up and down, trying to see the map that his mother was holding in her hands, but it was too high. Instead, he climbed onto the table nest to his mother and stood on the red wooden boards, peering over her shoulder. “I don’t see it. Where is it?”

“Right there,” his father said, pointing to a purple blob on the map. “The Comet. We just need to go over that bridge right there and hang a left.”

“Rowan—”

“Will you sit next to me, Daddy?” Robbie asked excitedly, jumping down from the table and failing to notice that he was interrupting his mother.

“Of course you can,” his father said. Robbie looked up and shook the hair out of his eyes in time to see his father exchange a glance with his mother. “He’ll be fine.”

“What?” Robbie asked, looking between them in confusion.

“Nothing,” his father said after a beat of silence. “Absolutely nothing. For you to worry about.”

Robbie stopped to think about that, wondering if maybe he should examine what didn’t make sense about that, but he couldn’t find anything really wrong with it. He shook his head and remembered The Comet. “C’mon,” Robbie said impatiently, tugging on his father’s hand. “I wanna ride it!”

His father followed, laughing.

Robbie walked in between his father and mother as they walked across the long bridge. He was so excited he nearly skipped down the wooden planks. His father hadn’t gone to work today—he’d taken them to an amusement park! And not just any amusement park; it was The Mungle Jungle. The best place in the whole world. All of his friends were going to be so jealous when they knew that he’d rode the Hurricane and that he’d gotten his very own stuffed monkey. His mother had even said that the big purple letters on its stomach said “Mungle Jungle”. His mother and father hadn’t fought all day long, either, and Robbie wondered if maybe they weren’t mad at each other anymore. Mungle Jungle really was the best place in the whole entire world!

“Have you ever rided it before?” he asked his father.

“Rode, Ducky, not rided. Speak right,” his mother reminded him.

“I haven’t ever—” his father started to say, but then his mother interrupted.

“Rowan!” she snapped. “Don’t indulge his grammar! You have to wait until he says it again, otherwise he’ll never learn to speak correctly.”

“Have you ever rode it before, Daddy?” Robbie repeated dutifully.

“No, I haven’t ever rode it before,” his father answered. “But, do you remember my friend Hal?”

“Yeah,” Robbie said, looking up to his father in interest. “He’s got no teeth, right?”

His father smiled. “He has dentures. Fake teeth.”

“Right,” Robbie said, nodding his head. “His teeth didn’t grow back ‘cause the tooth fairy didn’t come and get his baby teeth. His feet were too smelly, that’s why. And if my feet are too smelly, I won’t have any teeth either. But my feet don’t smell.”

“Is that what he said?” his father asked, sounding amused.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Robbie asked, his eyes widening as he realized that maybe Hal hadn’t told the truth. Maybe Hal had lied.

“Of course it is,” his mother said. “And that’s why you need to take baths every night, so your feet stay nice and clean.”

“Look, Robbie, there it is!” his father suddenly said, pointing to a big yellow monstrosity. They were off the bridge now and walking up to a sign that said something in yellow letters, and lots of people were walking past it into a line. It must be the entrance. “Ready to ride?”

Suddenly, there was a roar as a train flew by on the track, whizzing above the entrance and zooming away. Robbie stared at it, realizing for the first time how big it was. And it went really fast. He wasn’t so sure if he wanted to ride it. “No. I don’t wanna, Daddy. Can I have more cotton candy?”

His father stopped walking, looking at him in surprise. “You don’t want to ride? That’s what we came over here for.”

Robbie shook his head, and another train of screaming passengers came by, making him jump. He didn’t want to ride this at all.

“Are you sure?” his father asked. “You know, sometimes I get a little scared when I try something new. But then once I do it, I’m not afraid anymore because it’s so much fun!”

“I don’t wanna ride it,” Robbie said, shaking his head. Just looking at how high it went made him feel scared. What if he fell off? He didn’t want to go on it. He wanted to go back to the merry-go-round and ride that some more.

“C’mon, Robbie, just give it a shot,” his father said, placing a hand on his back and pushing him forward.

“I don’t wanna!” Robbie said loudly, trying to resist his father’s push, but his feet staggered towards the line against his will. “Daddy!”

“Trust me,” his father said, continuing to push him into the line. “You’re going to love it once you ride it.”

The loud roar of the train passing over his head made Robbie flinch, and his heart pounded in his chest. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

“You can go after we ride,” his father told him. “The line isn’t that long. Look, you can see where we get on!”

Robbie looked and his eyes widened when he saw that they were close to the station. But he didn’t want to get on, and his father was going to make him. Why didn’t his father understand that he was afraid? Tears welled in his eyes. “Please, Daddy,” he whimpered.

“Are you crying?” his father asked, laughing slightly, which only made Robbie feel worse. “Be a man, Robbie. It’s only a two minute ride, and then we can go see the dolphin show, okay?”

His father sounded mad now. Robbie turned around to look for his mother, but she was back by the bridge shifting through her purse again. “I don’t want to ride it,” he repeated.

“Robert,” his father said sternly, in a voice that told him he was out of line.

But Robbie didn’t care. He shook his head, feeling tears starting to pour down his cheeks. “I don’t want to! It’s scary and big and fast, and please Dad, don’t make me ride it. Please, I don’t wanna ride it, Daddy, please...”

“You’re going to ride it, Robert,” his father said firmly. “I didn’t take a whole day off of work to come here and ride the merry-go-round twenty times. You’ve had your rides, and now it’s my turn to have my ride.”

“But Daddy, I don’t want to ride it!” Robbie sobbed, beginning to panic as the line moved forward. Another train rushed by, full of terrified riders. “Please, I don’t want to, I don’t want to, please, Daddy...”

“Rowan! You’re causing a commotion!” his mother’s sharp voice suddenly said. Robbie turned around to see her standing there with a cross look on her face. “What on earth is going on? Why is Ducky crying?”

“It’s nothing,” his father said quickly. “He’s just having second thoughts about riding, is all. Don’t worry about it.”

“Mum, I don’t wanna ride it,” Robbie pleaded, running over to his mother and attaching himself to her leg. “Don’t make me go on, please! Please, please, please, please, please...”

“Ducky, no one’s making you go on!” his mother said, putting a hand on his head and steering him over to her side. Robbie buried his face into her jeans, hiding his tears from the rest of the world. “Did your father say you had to go on?”

“Hailey, he’s being ridiculous,” his father said immediately. “He just doesn’t know what’s good for him. Trust me, as soon as he gets on he’ll love it. A little anxiety before trying something new is normal for anyone.”

Robbie shook his head, hugging his mother’s leg tightly. His father couldn’t drag him away from his mother, she would protect him. She wouldn’t make him go on.

“Just forget about the stupid ride,” his mother snapped. “People are staring. Let’s go.”

“Fine!” his father said. “We’ll go. In fact, why don’t we just go home, since no one here seems to appreciate the fact that I took off a whole day of work to have a vacation! C’mon, let’s go.”

“No!” Robbie said, bringing his head up to look at his father, who had begun to walk out of the line. He ran to catch up with his father. “No, I don’t want to go home! Daddy!”

His father stopped walking and looked back at him, and then to his mother. “Pick him up, we’re going home.”

“No!” Robbie shouted, bursting into tears as he felt his mother pick him up. “No, I don’t wanna go home! Daddy! I wanna stay!”

An explosion of pain on the right side of his face shocked him into silence. Blinking, Robbie stared up at his mother, frozen mid-sob. A whimper escaped his mouth.

His mother smacked him again. “Stop crying—you’re making a scene.”