Lanterns on the Beach

(inspired by the fanart comic)

Summary: Hal, Kilowog, Aya, and Razer get a vacation after helping take out Atrocitus. After months of hard work in frontier space, it's time the crew had some well deserved fun. Razaya.

Chapter 1: Water is fun

Disclaimer: I do not own GL:TAS or Nerf.

Dazzling sunlight glimmered off the pearly hull of the Interceptor, reflecting back in every possible direction. This was of particular annoyance to one of the ship's crew members, whose black-rimmed eyes were now squinted into slits. His mouth twisted into a scowl as he lifted an un-gloved hand to shield from the rays. Today, he was not wearing his red lantern armor nor the civilian clothes of his home planet. He was dressed instead in lightweight, loose-fitting, brown trunks and a light-brown and tan striped sleeveless shirt.

The sun no longer blinding him, Razer took in every detail of this new planet's landscape. A blue-green sky stretched overhead, arcing until it met with crystalline waters leagues away on the horizon. A low but constant roar filled the air as waves pounded against the shore where he now stood. Salty-smelling spray tickled the red lantern's nose, which was currently wrinkled in distaste.

Beside him, the green lanterns Hal and Kilowog were disembarking from the ship, their arms filled with an assortment of "gear" which they began setting up just beyond the waves. Kilowog unfolded three chairs while Hal unfurled an umbrella with multicolored stripes and jabbed it forcefully into the sandy-ground. The two of them were also without their armor, both wearing only swim trunks. Once finished making their temporary camp, they stepped back to admire the view.

Hal clapped the sand off of his hands, "Now then, all we need is a cooler full of drinks, and we can get this party started."

"Aya's coming with it," said Kilowog. "I gotta say, Jordan, this is probably the best idea you've had in a long time."

"Humph…"

Hal and Kilowog turned to Razer, whose face would have screamed "annoyed" a mile away.

"This is the most ludicrous waste of time either of you could have possibly come up with."

Kilowog rolled his eyes at the youngest recruit's typical snarkiness. "C'mon, Poozer. Loosen up! Even green lanterns are allowed to take a little time off and enjoy themselves once in a while. Especially after saving entire galaxies from an armada led by a vengeful psychopath. Can't you just drop the whole 'stoic, tough-guy' thing for one day and live a little?"

The way Razer's eyes somehow managed to tighten into even thinner slits said it all. True enough, the Interceptor's crew did deserve the break. It had only been a week since they had managed to almost single-handedly halt Atrocitus's forces and capture the deranged red lantern. Now that the whole ordeal had been wrapped up, the guardians had permitted Hal, Kilowog, Razer, and Aya an "honorary retreat" to show their appreciation.

Which, though it didn't sound like much of a "thank you", was actually pretty significant coming from the elderly blue midgets, who usually showed their gratitude for a job well done by assigning another mission.

Hal and Kilowog had immediately pounced on the opportunity, and before Razer could blink, they were dragging him and Aya back on the Interceptor singing the phrase "road trip". They had instructed Aya to take them immediately to, and these were Hal's exact words, "the most popular tourist destination in the sector. Preferably one with lots of wave action and where the locals know how to partaaaay." Thus, here they were on the planet Ha'van.

The small blue planet was indeed popular, undoubtedly due to its tropical climate and white, sandy beaches, which seemed to be a tourist trap no matter what planet you were from. Scattered along the beach apart from the Interceptor were several other ships whose inhabitants had decided on dropping by for some sun and surf. The tourists were busily milling around on the shore—mingling, swimming, and just generally enjoying themselves.

But even though this little trip obviously would be a lot of fun and a good way to cut loose, Razer was still having none of it.

"I'm not going to waste my time foolishly cavorting on this wretched span of grit. Enjoy your 'holiday'. I'll be in my room."

He turned to head back up the Interceptor's ramp when a voice halted him in his step.

"You will not be joining us? Why?"

Razer nearly jumped out of his skin as the automated voice of Aya materialized right behind him. When he saw the android, his jaw dropped.

Aya's usual robotic form had been altered. Most of the metal parts that usually made up the AI's figure were now simply bare, green "skin". What remained made it look like she was in a (rather skimpy) bikini. Razer swallowed and felt his face flush. It was as though the already balmy temperature had suddenly risen another several degrees. He swayed slightly, feeling light-headed.

This whole episode didn't go unnoticed by the supercomputer.

"Razer, is something the matter? Your vital signs…" she reached out to support him in case he might fall.

He quickly recovered his wits and brushed Aya's hand aside. "I-It's nothing. I'm just a little…the heat's getting to me. I'm not used to this kind of extreme climate…"

That was a blatant lie. His home planet had been a temperature similar to this almost every day, but he didn't see a reason they needed to know that.

"I apologize. I had no idea you were unsuited to this climate. In that case, perhaps you should return to the ship…"

The red lantern cut across her.

"No. It's not a problem. I'll just…sit under the umbrella or something…"

Aya, Hal, and Kilowog all gave him strange looks as he shuffled away to the shade of their camp.

"Weird…" said Hal, "and he seemed so eager to get back in the ship a second ago…"

"Yeah. Wonder what's eating the Poozer?"

Aya carried the cooler unit over to where the chairs were and set it down near Razer. After offering him a cold drink, which he accepted, she turned back to Hal and Kilowog.

"If there is nothing else you will be requiring, I will return to my station—,"

"Woah, woah, woah now! Hold it there, young lady. You can't just leave!" Hal exclaimed, blocking her way "this is supposed to be fun for the whole group, and that includes you, Aya!"

The supercomputer gave him a lopsided frown.

"Forgive me, but this type of recreational activity is…foreign to my programming. I am not sure I am compatible with it."

Hal placed a hand on the robot's shoulder. "Don't be silly, of course you are! You just don't know it yet. Having fun is easy…and important."

"How so?"

"I was getting to that. It's important because it helps you get to know people better and bond with them. Just think of this as a… 'team building' exercise."

Aya arched an eyebrow at him. "Do you mean to say this is like a type of training?"

"Exactly! There you go."

At this, the NavCom perked up.

"Very well. I will participate. How does one begin 'fun'?"

"Uh…" Now he was stumped. Leave it to Aya to ask the difficult questions.

Hal looked around for some kind of help. Razer was huddled under the umbrella staring back at him blankly. Kilowog, on the other hand, had already gone off on his own and was now wading through the shallow edge of the water.

"There you go!" said Hal, snapping his fingers, "Kilowog's got the right idea. Water is fun."

"Inputting new correlative data. Water is equivalent to fun."

"Idiot," Razer hissed, overhearing them, "you're telling an android to jump in the ocean? Here's a math equation for you, human. Water plus robot equals bad."

"No, it is alright," Aya interjected, "I can create a thin field around myself so that my circuitry is not exposed. Hal's suggestion is valid."

Razer harrumphed, returning to his sulk as Hal led Aya down to the edge of the water.

"Come on in, yah lazy grubs! The water's great!" said the lantern general. He splashed the surf towards Hal and Aya playfully. When he wasn't in "army general" mode, Hal had found Kilowog to be something of a giant teddy bear. And boy was it showing now. The Bolovaxian was splashing around with careless abandon, soaking Hal and Aya with the spray before they had even gotten properly submerged in the water.

"Hey, cut that out!" said Hal. He splashed an arc of water back at his friend, chuckling all the while.

Kilowog saw this as a challenge though. Standing up, he drew both of his arms behind him…

"Oh no," said Hal.

A large wave that had nothing to do with the tide came crashing over him and Aya, knocking them off their feet.

Hal came up spluttering, a look of defiance on his face.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, huh?" He turned to Aya.

"Alright, honey, let me show you how 'fun' is done."

Hal drew on the power of his lantern ring. In moments, he had a green construct of a NERF Super Soaker in his hands. And not just one of the normal-sized ones. This was one of those that had some extra name like "Vortex" or "Jet-Stream" and was as longer than an adult's arm.

He pointed the hydraulic canon straight at Kilowog.

"Ready….Aim…"

"Wait Jordan, what is tha—,"

"FIRE!"

Kilowog was blasted off of his feet by a torrent of ocean water. He got back up shortly after with an evil grin plastered on his face.

"Oh yeah? Well two can play at that game."

Soon the general had a construct of his own. The tech was foreign to Hal, but it looked like some kind of cannon and missile setup.

"Woah, hold on there buddy—,"

Too late. Kilowog launched four missiles into the air. They split off and came at Hal and Aya from every direction. Aya had the good sense to make her own energy construct shield, but Hal wasn't quick enough. Kilowog's constructs shattered and pelted him with the water they had been holding inside. If the human hadn't been drenched before, he was now.

"Hal Jordan, I suggest taking preemptive action and striking before general Kilowog has a chance to reload." She motioned to the Bolovaxian who was already making more missiles and something that looked suspiciously like water grenades.

"Now you're talking, babe. Let's do it!"

Razer watched the crew with a mild mixture of interest and disdain as they bombarded each other with water in literally every way they could imagine. But he had to admit to himself that watching this was at least more interesting than being cooped up on the ship alone. Especially seeing Aya at play…

Aya…

There it was—that rush of confusing emotions again. Where had these come from? He had never felt like this before, back when they were deep in frontier space.

Aya was nothing other than a computer to him at first. But over time, she had become something more than that. Aya had been an ally. A fellow crew member. He was okay with seeing her in this light. He'd come to accept that she was more than just a program. She was an individual.

But ever since Drusa kidnapped her…

All he knew was that when she had been taken, he had been more consumed by rage than he had been in months. He hadn't been that angry since finding out Atrocitus was the one who really killed his wife. But he wasn't just angry at the red lanterns. He was angry at himself, Hal, and Kilowog for leaving her behind and allowing her to be taken.

And when he found her and managed to free her from Drusa…

Relief. Relief like he'd never known before. It was like letting go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The only problem was, now whenever she was around things were….different.

Whenever he saw her, it seemed like his heart sped up. And whenever her piercing blue eyes met his, he couldn't think straight. The closest thing he could compare it to was embarrassment, but he had no idea why he would be embarrassed by her presence. He just didn't know what he felt about her. In the past, he briefly thought he had come close to an answer when considering the implications of the star sapphires being able to transport him to Oa. However, that line of thought was so ridiculous he'd immediately shoved it away.

There were much bigger problems for him to consider anyway. For one thing, now that the red lantern armada had been defeated and Atrocitus captured… where did that leave him?

Honestly, this was a day he never thought he'd live see. Atrocitus had always seemed so unstoppable. His forces so invincible. Yet he was gone now. And Razer had succeeded in his goal of avenging his wife and repairing the damage he'd caused.

At least, that's what it should feel like. Yet he couldn't shake the sense that there was something still undone. A war still to fight. Problem was, he had no idea when, where, and what said war was or how to fight it.

Truth was, he had no idea what he should be doing now. Fighting and surviving was all he'd had. Now he had no one to fight against, no mission to complete. He had no reason to be here right now with Hal and Kilowog. He didn't belong to their corps. He didn't belong…anywhere.

Where to I go from here?

He couldn't really stand the thought of returning to his home planet. It would always remind him of her, and those thoughts were torture.

It felt like his home was on the Interceptor, but he knew he couldn't stay there much longer. From what he understood, it wasn't Hal and Kilowog's ship in the first place. They'd commandeered it before leaving Oa for frontier space, so now it would surely be taken back. And Aya was a part of the ship, so she would go with it.

Aya…

The emotions came again, more forcefully this time. After the Interceptor was back in the hands of the guardians, he probably wouldn't see her anymore. Why did that thought bother him so much? His displeasure at the idea of being separated from the A.I. was intense. It was all too confusing.

He grunted and buried his head in his knees and tried to swat away the annoying thoughts buzzing through his head like flies.

End of Chapter 1

Hope this was fun. I completely got the idea from the comic here: elfgrove (dot) tumblr (dot) com/post/23428537019

There will be more on the way eventually. The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update. They get me all motivated to write. Also, I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has them.