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BBRae 2024 Week Day 1: Camping
“Hey Rae” Gar calls out to her as he comes up from behind. She’s standing near the edge of the water, looking out at the lake they’re camping nearby. That’s right, the Titans were on vacation! Some would not consider camping as a fun vacation; those few got out voted when both Kori and Gar got stuck on the idea. One of them was enough to drive the team insane enough to agree, but BOTH together? Yeah, the Titans were going camping for vacation.
Fortunately for those opposed to the idea, Dick had managed to find some finer accommodations. Their tents were more like fancy igloos with walls and electricity and no way for bugs or critters to sneak in. Instead of a tent flap with a zipper, the opening to the igloo is a plastic door. Vic’s "tent" even had room for his portable charging station, complete with solar panel attachment, for easy recharge.
Gar walks over to stand beside Raven by the water’s edge. They both linger there for a minute, looking out at the lake as the sun starts to set.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Raven comments. Although she can get a better view from their Tower (literally on an island surrounded by ocean), there was something about being in different surroundings that made this feel… special.
Gar looks at her “Oh?” he asks, “Is this Raven, complimenting an idea I had, hmm?”
Her peaceful expression quickly sours as she side-eyes the man standing next to her. Raven is still getting use to the idea of considering Gar a “man” now, though no other word could be accurate. They had all grown in their years as Titans. Gone were the teens; everyone's in their early twenties, with Gar holding up the rear at just over 21 years of age.
Although Gar still held the moniker of Beast Boy, he could not be considered a “boy”. With broad shoulders, a long, lean frame, and lithe muscles, Gar had certainly grown since the team first formed. His hair was a little longer on top and he had started to grow some sideburns as well. Long gone was the baby fat, Gar now had defined cheekbones and jawline. And finally, he was no longer the shortest on the team. Though still shorter than three of the Titans, (Vic the tallest, though Gar considers his height cheating as he can adjust it; Kori the second, standing just an inch and a half taller than her boyfriend Dick, who was the third tallest) Gar could comfortably fit Raven’s head under his chin. Though he was still a jokester, he had matured enough to know that timing was very important in joke telling, and that sometimes the middle of missions was not the best time.
Gar had also learned the value of privacy - particularly Raven's privacy - and giving others their space. It may have taken a few years, and a lot of arguments with the half-demon, but he did learn that lesson. (It also helped when Raven broke into his room once and thoroughly trounced his own privacy, just to drive the point home.)
Eventually, the two found a rhythm to their constant back and forth. Instead of a game of Tug of War - with constant tension and pulling - their antics turned into a system of checks and balances. For all of Raven’s talk of privacy and “needing her space”, she still needed someone to pull her out of her room and spend some time with others every now and again. And for all of Gar’s constant jokes, pranks, and a seemingly never-ending supply of boisterous energy, he still needed someone to bring him back down to Earth. Someone to remind him to slow down and think instead of talk (or even just think before he spoke). He never let her get too dark, and she never let him blind those around him with his light. They balanced each other.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the green man didn’t still annoy the dickens out of Raven on occasion. Currently, his waggling eyebrows and smug grin were doing just that.
Raven sighs, “You do realize your plan would’ve never worked without Kori’s help, right?” She turns to glance at him, slightly miffed to realize this comment has not smacked that grin off his face.
Gar chuckles at her response. Classic Raven. He can’t help but admire her in the light of the setting sun. She's grown so much over the years. While Raven has always been beautiful, her features have become more defined, with prominent cheek bones, a sharp widow’s peak, and of course, striking amethyst eyes. She's grown out her hair a little as well, reaching just below her shoulders.
His eyes travel further down her body, then. It's impossible not to notice that Raven has curves in all the right places, a perfect hourglass, leading straight to those long legs. Although she may be the smallest on the team, that in no way means she is the weakest. Gar has sparred with her enough times to know that while she may be shorter in stature, there is muscle under those curves. Not to mention the most kick-ass powers he has ever seen. Gar notices he's staring but doesn’t bother to look away. Raven glares when she notices him staring for too long. He shoots her a sheepish smile, before he looks back onto the horizon.
Just then, a soft breeze floats up off the water, and leaves fall from the tree above their heads. Gar watches as one leaf lazily floats through the air, landing on the edge of the water right by his feet. He notices several small stones sitting just beneath the leaf under the water. His eyes widen in excitement: the stones look perfect for skipping!
Bending down, he picks up one of the stones and rolls it over in his hand. It’s nice and smooth from years spent in the water. Standing back up, Gar rears his arm back, and tosses the rock out toward the water. It skips six times before plopping into the water.
“Is that a record for you?” Raven asks. She’d seen him skip rocks plenty of times before, but lately, she finds herself paying more attention to the thrower than the rocks.
Gar raises an eyebrow in her direction, “Nah. My best is like… nine… I think. What about you? How far can you make it go?”
Raven shrugs, “I could make it go all the way across the lake if I wanted to with my powers.”
“Ok, show-off” Gar said, “but what about without your powers?”
Raven rolls her eyes, but tucks her hair behind her ear when she answers, “I’ve never not used my powers when skipping rocks.”
“Gasp!” Raven turns to see Gar dramatically grasp his chest with his hand. “You mean you’ve never just skipped rocks?! Like, with no powers?! I am truly shocked and scandalized!” Gar’s other hand flies to his head in a swooning gesture. He can’t keep up the act for long, quickly bursting into laughter.
Raven merely shakes her head slightly and smirks. He may have been grown up, but some things never change. Including her sarcastic comments at his expense. “Glad to see you’re using the word of the day calendar I gave you.” Her eyes twinkle with humor, a fact Gar would never miss, and thus only encourages him further.
“Scandalize!” Exclaims Gar, one finger pointed straight up in the air, and one eyebrow equally as high on his forehead. “To shock or horrify by a real or imagined violation of propriety or morality!” Raven shakes her head again at Gar’s antics and even chuckles this time. He is just being so ridiculous.
Gar’s eyes shine at her rare laugh. Whether a small huff of barely contained giggles or full-on, aching laughter, he never tires of it. If there was any way he could get her to smile, Gar would do it, no questions asked, and all caution thrown to the wind. Her happiness was always worth it.
With that in mind, Gar gets an idea. “Raven,” he says confidently, “We are going to skip rocks together, and I’m going to teach you how.”
Raven shoots him a doubtful smirk. “Gar, I don’t need to learn how to skip rocks. I can just use my powers.”
“Come on Raven,” Gar rolls his eyes, “Let me teach you something for once. Besides, Dick said no powers while on vacation unless there’s an emergency.” He bends back down to pick up a few of the better skipping stones and looks up at Raven from under his lashes. “And I don’t think the old boy wonder thinks skipping rocks counts as an emergency.” As he grins again, the light glints on his one fang. He is absolutely breathtaking, staring up at her that way.
Raven feels the blush rising on her cheeks. Damn him. “Who said I wanted to skip rocks anyway?”
Gar bounces back up, not at all affected by Raven’s sass. “You didn’t have to say anything Rae. I know you love spending time with me.” He sees that little red cross her cheeks, and it is very encouraging.
Pocketing the extra rocks, Gar shows Raven the one in his hand. “This,” he exclaims with a flourish, “is an ideal skipping stone, Rae.” He turns to hold the rock out to her as he continues, “You see, the rock has to be flat, but not too flat. Even thickness all around.”
Gar reaches over and places the rock in Raven’s hand under the guise of checking the rock fits squarely in her palm. Raven curses her luck - she had just gotten her blush under control, but there's no way she can stop the blood rushing while he’s holding her hand.
“You gotta hold the stone between your thumb and index finger like this.” Gar maneuvers her fingers into peak rock-skipping position.
Raven tries to distract herself from Gar touching her hand by focusing intensely on his instructions. It only works a little.
“Alright”, Gar says, “You’re going to stand facing the water at an angle, pull your arm back like you’re throwing a side pitch.” Gar goes around behind Raven to position her.
Her pulse thrums in her ear. She could feel Gar’s arms wrap securely around her, his chest pressing lightly against her back, and his hands clasping her own. Her breath stutters as his warmth seeps into her back.
“This part’s important” His breath in her ear. “When you throw the rock, you gotta cock your wrist back and then right before you release it, you quickly flick your wrist like this.” He pulls their arms back, then slowly moves them forward to demonstrate the motion.
“This helps the rock spin, making it perfect for skipping.” Gar pulls back slightly, grinning, “You should also try to aim it so that the rock hits the water at an angle. That makes it skip farther.”
Raven looks over her shoulder. His grin is as wide as ever, but it doesn’t hide the slight red that also tints his cheeks. Seeing this eases her own embarrassment, softening her blush.
The red tinting her cheeks brings Gar immense pleasure. He’s always amazed at how the red contrasts against her skin and brings out the violet of her eyes. He loves her eyes and how expressive they are. In spite of her best efforts, she can never hide how she truly feels when he looks into them. Gar often finds himself trying not to drown in them. Even now, he finds himself lost in their current.
Azar, his eyes are gorgeous. A shade of green unlike any she's seen. Flecks of gold and amber within, they shine whenever he is feeling particularly mischievous. She's found herself getting lost in them more than once over the years. She's getting lost in them now.
His head starts to dip and her eyes drop to his lips. Is she really going to let him do it? One glance at Gar’s eyes shows his own hesitation - and an overwhelming affection.
Yes. Yes, she will let him kiss her. And she will kiss back.
His forehead grazes hers, their breath mingle, their eyes almost fully closed. Raven angles her head to meet his lips -
“YO! DINNER’S READY Y’ALL!”
Victor. The two practically jump away from each other in surprise, and if it hadn’t been for years of combat training, one of them may have fallen into the water. As it stands, the two are about a foot apart, staring straight at the water, eyes wide as saucers, with matching blushes from the tops of their heads, to the tips of their toes.
“Be right there Vic!” Gar shouts over his shoulder. He lifts a fist to his mouth and coughs awkwardly. Raven crosses her arms and purses her lips.
“So we should probably-”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
When Gar turns, Raven is very pointedly keeping her eyes on the horizon. Breathing a heavy sigh, he turns around to make his way back to the camp.
Once he’s gotten up the bank, Raven breathes out her own sigh and looks down to her feet. Another missed opportunity. She feels their collective disappointment laying heavy in her chest. She notices the rock she had been holding by her foot. She must have dropped it when they were startled. Bending down, she snatches it up and holds it flat in her hand.
She looks back up to the horizon, watching as the sun finally dips just below the surface of the lake, the sky a brilliant orange, reflecting off the lake’s surface. Raven holds the rock firmly in her hand, determination taking over her. Before she turns away to join her friends, she pulls her arm back, and flicks it forward quickly, releasing the rock. It skips ten times before it sinks.
Raven takes a deep breath, turns around, and walks back up the shore to the campsite.
A few hours later, after dinner, s’mores, and many ghost stories (Raven’s being the scariest), Gar lies in his tent, fast asleep.
The door to the igloo opens quietly, as Raven enters. He stirs, rolling in his sleeping bag to find her standing there. His brow furrows, “Rae?” Raven walks over and bends down to sit next to him.
“Rae what are you-,” Gar tries to sit up, but Raven puts a hand to his chest to keep him still. She leans forward and kisses him softly. They part for only a moment, lips still grazing with each breath. Both want more.
Gar meets her lips once more, desperate to feel that connection again. What starts out sweet and simple very quickly becomes heated and needy. His hands are all over her back and in her hair, while her hands roam his chest and shoulders, feeling every muscle.
Lips never parting save for brief exhales and inhales of breath, Gar switches their positions. Unfortunately, Gar forgot he is still in his sleeping bag, and as he tries to flip them, his legs get twisted in the bag and he grunts slightly in surprise.
“Are you doing alright down there?” Raven asks with amusement lining her voice.
Gar smirks, “Maybe I’m just caught up on you.”
“You’re caught up on something alright,” she breathes against his face, “but I don’t think it’s me.”
Gar leans back up and cradles Raven’s head with one hand and kisses her again while he uses his other hand to tear open his sleeping bag. With his legs finally free of their constraints, Gar successfully lays Raven down beneath him, his mouth on hers the whole time.
Gar plants kisses along her jaw, and between each kiss he asks her, “So, does this mean we’re together now?” He continues kissing down her neck, pausing his attention at the junction between Raven’s neck and shoulder.
Typical. Gar would start talking and asking mature questions while all Raven wants to do is give in to her desires.
Lifting her hands up from where they’re clinging to his shoulders, she cradles his head. Getting the message, he releases her neck to look her in the eyes.
“Tuesday. After we get back from this trip. Dick has a table reserved at Amethyst Dining for Titans at all times. You will wear a tie, and I make no promises for the outcome of the evening.”
“No promises?” The amber of his eyes gleam in that way she adores. “Raven, we’ve known each other for years. We’ve been teammates, friends, and best friends. We’ve been through hell and back together more times than I can count. This isn’t a first date. This is a couple, going out on the town. First date rules don’t apply. I’d say taking this step is a pretty big promise of the future.”
And, Raven supposes as he leans back down for another blistering kiss, she has to agree.