Simple Pleasures

I do not own teen titans! So here goes I'm going to try juggling more than one story at a time, because I randomly got this idea and didn't want to loose it. Hope you enjoy!

'thinking' "speaking"

Chapter 1

"We should hang out." Gar suggested as Raven snapped her book shut in aggravation. The green titan had asked her to stay home and up to this point had sat in the same room with her saying nothing. He flopped backwards over the back of the couch with his head landing skillfully in her lap. Raven decided to speak now shove him off later. "Gar, we are alone in the tower, in the same room, we are hanging out." Gar looked up at her disappointed, "No Rae, we are sitting alone in the tower ignoring each other. I've been waiting for hours for you to say something, anything to me. Can you at least pretend that I'm actually your friend." Raven looked at down at him then shoved him off her lap, and off the couch in one fluid movement before leaving the common room. Gar lowered his head, "I am an idiot." He said to nobody inpeticular, mostly because nobody was there. He quickly set off to find Raven, he had probably upset her, since she was still getting use to being able to show emotion after the defeat of her father. It wasn't her fault she tended to be withdrawn, there wasn't much she could do about it, it was how she had been raised.

Raven sat on the end of her bed, head in hands, thinking. She was finding her life more difficult now that she could show emotions, mostly because she had no excuse now. There was absolutely no excuse for her to be withdrawn and mean, especially to Gar who up until a few moments ago had handled her mood swings better than anyone else in the tower. Raven made a quick desicion to go apologize to Gar. Raven didn't have to go far, as she opened her door with her keypad and ran straight into him. "I'm sorry." They said at the same time. Both looked to the other in confusion. Gar spoke up first, "Why are you sorry? I'm being a jerk, you grew up your whole life without emotions and having to be guarded and it's not your fault that sometimes you still feel like your back then or that you don't know how to show your emotions." Raven gave Gar a small smile, "I was going to apologize for getting angry at you. I have no excuse to act unattached and angry. I've waited my whole life for the chance to act anyway but, so I need to stop."

After a few moments of surprisingly un-awkward silence Gar stood up. "I'm gonna go get changed and head down to the beach wanna come? You don't even have to swim if you don't want to, you can sit and read." Raven looked down and thought about it. "Sure why not. Meet you here in a few?" Gar nodded and practically pranced with delight towards his room. Raven shook her head, wishing she could feel that type of simple delight. Then with a smile Raven realized that the only thing stopping her was her. And she was going to end that today. Raven flung open her dresser drawer and her jaw dropped. How could she have forgotten what her only bathing suit looked like. She had told Gar she would meet him and go to the beach with him. There was no turning back. With a sigh she pulled the black bikini and purple surfer shorts out of the drawer and slid them on. She looked in the mirror before going out to meet Gar. "It's not to bad." She said trying to convince herself the shorts weren't to short and the top didn't show to much. The only comfort she left the room with was that the top had thick straps that adjusted not the usual ties.

Raven peeked around the corner and saw Gar, suddenly she wanted to run back to the room and throw on jeans and a turtleneck. Then she watched as Gar's nose twitched and he turned her way. "Hiya Rae!" She sighed, her plan was pretty much out. She decided to try to hide her discomfort by acting nonchalantly. "Hey yourself are you ready to head down?" Gar let his gaze sweep over her before giving her a grin, "most definitely." Raven shuddered as she followed him. 'He seriously just checked me out', right to my face. Bold Garfield Logan, very bold, but kinda uncomfortable.' As they reached the elevator Gar opened the doors and shot Raven an apologetic glance before stepping in and waiting for her to do the same.

"I'm sorry," Gar said grabbing Raven's arm as she stepped out of the elevator. "Sorry for what? Oggling me? It was a little uncomfortable but you didn't mean it to be, you were just kidding around." Suddenly Gar began to look like a Christmas ornament, his face blushing a deep red over the normal green. He shuffled his feet. "Youdolookgood." Raven cocked her head to the side, "what?" Gar looked at her nervously. "I said you do look really good, I wasn't kidding Rae, I'm just kinda embarrassed with myself because I made you feel uncomfortable." Raven looked at him in shock, he preferred tall, skinny, happy, blond, and giggly. She, well she wasn't any of those things, except happy she was trying to work on that one. Gar noticing she was thinking decided he should drag her out to the beach before she could think better of it.

Raven looked at the water with great discretion. It was deep, it was kinda cold, and her least favorite, it was wet. She crinkled her nose in thought, but snapped out of it as Gar burst into laughter. She looked up where he was standing in knee deep water, already soaking wet and...'Wow, when did Gar get cute? Oh my dear Azar I did not just think that.' Gar walked out of the water and grabbed her hand, "Come on Rae I'll walk in with you." Raven gave him a wobbly smile then made her ascend into the water.

"Raven, your cool and all but this is taking forever!" Exclaimed Gar, he'd been easing her into the water for nearly ten minutes and she was only in thigh deep water. Raven turned to him, "Well can you think of a better way to do it?" Gar smiled, with a slightly menacing twitch to his lips. He quickly swooped Raven up off her feet and tossed her out a few feet. Raven came up sputtering, but surprised Gar with a smile. "Thanks Gar." "No problehhhhhh!" Gar shouted as a tentacle of Ravens power tossed him forwards toward her. He came up next to her and she turned bursting into laughter at the look on his face. They soon began swimming on their own stopping every now and then to dunk each other or throw water at each other. Gar stopped to watch Raven for a minute, she really was something else to look at. He found, without surprise, that Raven was extremely graceful in the water. Suddenly Raven stopped swimming and turned towards him bobbing on the surface. "Raven, why did you agree to come out here with me?" Raven smiled at him, "I realized in my room earlier that you try so hard. I mean, don't get me wrong, the other try, but you have always gone the extra mile for me. I decided I need to start enjoying the simple pleasures of having friends like you. I appreciate everything you guys have done for me, always standing up for me, not letting me feel to creepy or different, and now I want to give back. I can give back, and I'm going to. Can you help me Gar?" "Help you what?" "Well I haven't experienced many of the simple pleasures or life, so I dont know where to go about finding them." Gar smiled at her, "Go get dressed I have an idea."

That's it for now. More soon I promise.

-WaFfLeZ