Disclaimer: Titans not mine.
In a not-so-far-away land, a young boy and his father mourned the loss of the only woman in their house hold. Seemingly months later, the father remarried a vain young woman. She had two spoiled sons, the same age as the young boy. A year went and the boy's father became sickly. The father passed on, and the step-mother began to mistreat her step-son.
"Garfield!" Madame Rouge yelled.
"Just a second!" He shouted back. Swinging his feet over the edge of his bed he rushed down the stairs, grumbling when he stubbed his toes on the corner. Stumbling into the kitchen he began to fix breakfast
"Morning, Snot-wad." Adonis greeted as he walked in. Behind him, Manny snickered. Gar rolled his eyes at the insult then set a plate of bacon on the table. Rouge sauntered in, making a face at Gar.
A blasting honk outside reminded Gar that he did have school that morning. Quickly clearing the table, he gathered his lunch and backpack before running out the door. "Hey, Gar!" his Best Friend Victor leaned out the window of his car. Gar joined him, laughing at some inside joke. Relieved to be out of the house, Gar allowed himself to relax. The car ride to school was a silent one, giving Gar time to think. He knew the only reason his step-mother kept him was for his inheritance, which she would have full access to once he turned eighteen.
TEEN TITANS
"C'mon, let me be your escort to the dance." A boy with black hair and dark eyes begged. The girl in question rolled her blue-violet eyes. "Garth, I don't need a date if I'm the one Hosting the dance." She reminded him, turning away. Rejected, the captain of the swimming team stalked off. Rachel Roth sighed heavily, spinning the combination of her locker. As it opened a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Hiding her smile, she scooped it up and read it to herself. For quite a while, now, her Locker Neighbor had been leaving her notes.
Sometimes they were witty quotes; but, more often than not, they were cheesy jokes. Her locker neighbor always seemed to know when she could use a brightening up. He (because with writing like that, it had to be male) also knew all her favorites. Color, animal, food, author, genre, class; you name it, most likely he'd know it. Funny, how her closest friend was someone she didn't even know face to face.
A month earlier she had asked for a name, hoping she could then find him. His cheeky reply was, 'You can call me Tabby. You asked for a name not my name.' She was surprised someone had out-smarted her, matched her wits, per say.
Today's note was a witty quote that doubled as an insult. 'Some drink from the Fountain of Knowledge. He just gargled.' Rachel had to smile; those two sentences pretty much described all her suitors. If one could call them that.
Just in the last half hour, she was asked out to the dance 25 times. That's almost once per minute. Of course, she had turned them all down. It was amusing that guys thought they could win her over. They acted as if they were so charming, and then pretended to be shocked when she said no. Most of them treated her as a prize to be won, not a human. Re-reading the note, Rachel, once again, wished she knew "Tabby" personally. She often found herself studying guys in her classes trying to guess which one he was.
Tucking the note into her folder, she made her way to her next class. As she walked, many members of the male specimen watched her as though she were a piece of meat. Fed up with the majority of the masculine population, she promised herself she would find "Tabby".
"Hey, Rachel." Her cousin, Richard Grayson, greeted her. His girlfriend (and Rachel's Best Friend), Kori, grinned at her. Humming in response she sat next to them.
"Rachel, you dropped this on Friday. Please, Friend, who is…'Tabby'?" Kori questioned. With a burning blush, Rachel snatched the piece of paper and tucked it into her folder with the other note.
"Just a friend of mine. He's always leaving notes in my locker." She rushed to explain.
"He…" Rich stated slyly. Rachel glared narrowly to hide her blush. "Do you think he'll be at the Dance? It's a Masquerade, you know."
"I Hope he goes…" she mumbled, staring at her hands. Rich smirked but said nothing more. It would be good for Rachel to have more friends. Later that day, Rachel shoved an invitation to the dance into Tabby's locker. 'Nothing left to do but wait.' She told herself.
TEEN TITANS
Victor waited outside in the parking lot for his friend. He heard him before he ever saw him. "Vic!" Gar yelled, running up. "I got - a problem." He panted, trying to catch his breath.
"Yeah, lil' buddy?" Vic asked kindly. Gar pushed a piece of scrap paper into his taller friend's hand.
"Read it!" Gar demanded. Victor read, his lips moving along with the words. He grinned at his younger friend, quirking an eyebrow.
"I fail to see the problem." Vic admitted. "So, you were invited to the dance by Rachel…" He trailed off. Gar scoffed as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"How am I supposed to convince Madame Rouge to let me go? I'm pretty sure she's got a mile long chore list for me to finish on the night off the dance." Gar pointed out. Victor smirked.
"Easy, you don't."
"Meaning…?"
"…" Vic gave him a look
"NO!"
"C'mon-"
"No, I will not sneak out. That'll get me into even more trouble."
"All ya gotta do is get outta the house. I can handle the rest." The chocolate-hued man promised. Gar eyed his friend suspiciously, then sighed and hesitantly agreed. "Okay! Let's find you a nice outfit, and then we can start planning." Vic ushered his friend into the car, taking him to a wondrous collection of shops, called…The Mall. After poking around for almost two hours, Vic finally settled on a dress shirt, tie, and a pair of black dress pants. Purchasing their choice, Gar and Vic went to look at the masks. They found the perfect one within minutes of entering the shop. Gar was soon sent home with his purchases. He snuck in (Totally different than sneaking out) and stashed the new outfit in his room. For the first time in his life since his father's death, Gar went to sleep happy.
^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^ (BBRAE) ^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^*^^
The next morning, after first period, Rachel opened her locker and another note fluttered to the ground. Rachel's heart leapt as she picked it up and unfolded it. 'I'll come. But, don't try to find me at the dance, I'll find you. Save me a dance! –Tabby'
Rachel sighed, relieved that he was coming. After the dance, when everyone took their masks off, she would finally know who Tabby was. Turning to go to class, she ran into someone, knocking them to the ground. A pair of green eyes blinked up at her. Blushing, Rachel scrambled up, apologizing profusely. The boy she'd practically tackled just blushed back a shade darker. "S' okay," he mumbled, rushing off in the opposite direction. Rachel watched him go, and though she tried, she could not forget those eyes.
Gar turned the corner, face still red and heart still racing like a rabbit. He'd just run into Rachel, literally. Or, did she run into him? Either way, the scenario ended with him on the ground and Rachel sitting on him. He'd barely gotten away without screaming "I'm Tabby!" in her face. That could've been disastrous. He needed to be more careful and pay more attention to his surroundings. He wouldn't want that happening again. Okay, he would, but only under different circumstances. Like, if he wasn't her secret admirer, if one could be considered that. Thinking about that reminded him of yet another quote to write for Rachel. Fishing out a piece of clean paper, he scribbled something on it.
Peeking around the corner, he saw an empty hallway. Walking casually past Rachel's locker he stuffed the note into it. Maybe this one would get her to laugh. That was originally why he began leaving notes in her locker. He had noticed that she rarely smiled, so he made it his mission to make her laugh. He was positive she was beautiful when she smiled. The bell rang, causing him to jump and hurry off to class. He just wished he could hear Rachel laugh once.
************************************ (CinderFella) ************************************
"Rachel, do you have anything to wear to the dance? It is this weekend." Kori reminded Rachel, later that day at lunch break. Rachel shook her head causing her red-headed friend to squeal excitedly. "You must come with me to the mall and purchase a dress!" She exclaimed, giving Rachel wide puppy eyes. Rachel could not refuse. Kori squealed again, making plans to meet up later. Her ebony haired friend groaned when she realized just what she'd gotten herself into. Rich smiled at the two bonding girls. They'd known each other since elementary school, when Rachel stuck up for Kori because she was the new girl. They've been Best Friends ever after that.
Elsewhere in that same lunch room, Gar sat with his closest friend, Victor. Unknowingly, he was watching Rachel at her own table with a Love-Drunk expression upon his countenance. Vic waved his hand in front of his friends face, but he got no reaction. Gar simply swatted his hand away. "You got it bad, boy." Vic chuckled. The sound of Vic's laughter Gar out of his Crush-Induced-Trance, and he blinked. "I've never seen anyone with such a bad case." Vic continued.
"Case of what?" Gar questioned, oblivious to his friend's previous comment.
"Why, the Love-Bug, of course." Vic teased.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Gar said nervously, avoiding all eye contact.
"Sure ya do, you've been Bitten." Vic told him.
"I don't have a crush on Rachel!" Gar hissed at him. Vic grinned widely.
"I never said you did. But thanks for confirming that for me." Vic laughed, yet again. Gar blushed and looked away. "Using one word and only one word, describe Rachel for me." Vic was expecting him to use the word 'Hot', 'Perfect', or possibly even 'Sexy', but Gar tossed a wrench right through that hypothesis.
"Misunderstood," Gar said confidently. Vic quirked his eyebrow, his confusion written clearly on his countenance.
"Care to elaborate?" He asked
"A lot of people think she puts up a tough shell to keep people out and protect herself. Others think it's because she's simply creepy. But I think she uses it as a test." Gar explained. "She wants someone to break through, but she needs to be sure they're not gonna hurt her in the process. How they break through kinda proves it to her. They don't need to force their way in, but instead, should do it gently."
Vic blinked once, twice, thrice, before he could regain his ability to speak. "Who are you, and what have you done with my Best Friend?"
Gar chuckled, "Just eat your murder meat." He teased, turning to his own salad. Vic watched him for a second before turning to his meat lover's sandwich. With extra Meat. Despite their major differences the two of them were so close they were practically brothers.
Unknown to Gar and Vic, Rachel had walked past just as Vic was asking Gar to use one word to describe her, and she had overheard the answer, including Gar's explanation for it. No one had ever said that about her, ever. Still blushing, she made her way back to her table. She sat down, refusing to make eye-contact with either of her friends, and chose to stare at the table. Rich saw the tale-tell blush, but didn't comment about it. The same could not be said about Kori. When she saw Rachel's blush she had infinite questions. Opening her mouth to speak, the red-head was cut off by the bell. She huffed as she stood up.
Rachel had seen Kori open her mouth and sighed in relief when the bell rang. 'Saved by the bell,' she thought. Looking across the cafeteria, her eyes met a pair of green ones. It was that boy she had run into. Not sure what had come over her, she smiled at him shyly, before turning away.
Gar felt his breath stop. He'd looked up just in time to catch Rachel's eye. Then, she smiled at him. He was right; she was beautiful when she smiled, especially when it was for him. Right then and there, he became addicted. He wanted, no, he needed to see her smile again. Plus, he'd yet to make her laugh. But, that would come in time. His next attempt to make her laugh would be at the dance, which was this Saturday. Good thing he already had his outfit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (GML) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rachel opened her locker and yet another note fell to the ground. Confused, she picked it up. Was it from Tabby? It must be, he was the only one to leave her notes. 'Hey, Rae! Just remembered what I forgot. Your Joke/Quote of the day! Here goes… "A secret admirer is just a stalker with stationary." –Tabby' Rachel blushed at the nick name; Tabby was the first to call her that and get away with it. 'Only because he's not here to be punished,' she promised herself. Something in the back of her mind told her that wasn't it. 'Admit it…' Her heart whispered. 'Admit you like him.' Rachel shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Carefully, she tucked the note into her folder to join her previous ones. Her thoughts continued to pester her, refusing to give up.
It wasn't till later in the week that Kori managed to drag her out to the mall. Her auburn-haired friend flittered from store to store, relentlessly searching. She was a woman on a mission. Kori wanted her friend to have the best time possible at the dance. After three grueling hours, she found the perfect dress. The dress started as a pale shade lavender, growing darker as it reached the floor, finally becoming a gorgeous dark violet. It seemed to shimmer as Rachel held it up to the light. Now, for the mask. Rachel spent barely a minute in the shop, before coming out with a small bag, claiming it was the best choice.
Time Jump-Saturday Afternoon
Rachel squirmed as Kori tried to fix her hair. "Rachel, you must sit still, or I cannot do up your hair." Kori reprimanded. Rachel stilled and Kori continued with her work.
"Sorry, I'm nervous. Tonight's the night I finally meet Tabby." Rachel told her. Kori said nothing, yet smiled knowingly. "What?" Rachel questioned, catching sight of Kori's smile in the mirror.
"You like him, don't you?" Kori stated. Rachel stared at her feet and blushed. Did she like him? What made so different than other guys?
"I…I don't know," she began slowly. Still staring at her feet, she kept talking. "He's probably one of the first guys to treat me like a human and not just some prize to be won. I-I guess I kinda do like him. I mean, he's always trying to cheer me up and some of his quotes are funny." Rachel finished, her blush slowly fading away.
"Well, you will know after tonight." Kori told her. "Let us go, we have a dance to attend."
Masquerade
Gar swallowed nervously as he stood outside the school. Once he walked in, there was no turning back. Before he took his first step, Vic rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Remember you have to be home by midnight. That means you leave the dance early. I've set your watch for 11:30." Vic reminded him. Gar nodded and turned back to the school's double doors. Taking a deep breath, Gar walked through the doors, and all eyes were on him. His mind screamed at him and begged him to turn and flee, however he ignored it. A smaller, yet more powerful, piece of his mind demanded that he find Rachel and ask her to dance. And, guided by his heart and the minority of his mind, he did exactly that.
Rachel, as she stood by the punch bowl, heard a collective gasp and turned to see why. Looking to the entrance, she felt her breath catch. There was a boy standing in the doorway, wearing an emerald green dress shirt and black slacks. His tie was a deep royal purple and his mask only covered the top half of his face. The mask itself was purple with green color bursts all over it. His eyes scanned the crowd before landing on her. The boy smiled and walked forward, his eyes never wavering from her face. He stopped before her and smiled wider. "Hey, Rae, may I have this dance?" he asked politely. He held out his hand for her to take, his smile never dimming or disappearing. Still speechless, Rachel blushed and took his hand.
"Are you Tabby?" She asked quietly. The boy, pardon, Tabby nodded. Smiling brightly, he led her on to the dance floor. Rachel wrapped her arms around his shoulder as he, almost nervously, placed his on her waist. After the first song, Rachel rested her head on Tabby's chest. In response, he tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer. They danced like that for two more songs, till the DJ decided to play a quicker song. Sighing, Rachel reluctantly pulled away from him. She pouted ever so slightly, but Tabby still caught it. He took her chin and tilted her face up, so he could look her in the eyes.
"Hey," he whispered, "you're even more beautiful when you smile." She blushed, again, and gave him a shy smile. "See, beautiful," he kissed her forehead then offered his hand. "Would you join me on a walk?" He asked, gesturing to the fountain outside. Rachel took his hand and smiled.
"Of course," she answered. Tabby smiled back at her, his green eyes twinkling merrily. Rachel noted their color, 'A deep shade of pine green. Where have I seen those eyes before?' she internally wondered.
"So did any of my jokes or quotes make you laugh?" Tabby asked with a shy quality. When Rachel giggled softly, the tips of his ears turned pink. "Is that a-a yes?" He stuttered. His ears darkened once Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist and nodded against his chest. Tabby grinned and hugged her close, yet again, and kissed the top of her head. Unseen to her dancing partner, Rachel's eyes grew wide before she snuggled even closer.
"Tabby, if you could use one word to describe me, what would it be?" Rachel questioned.
"Misunderstood," he replied confidently. Rachel felt her heart skip a beat, and then start racing wildly.
"Is there a reason why?"
"Yeah, a lot of people think that you're creepy, that you close yourself off to the world. But, I believe you do it to test others, to see how they'd break through your shell. If they can be gentle with your shell, you can trust them with the real you; your true self."
"Why would you think that?" She questioned innocently.
"Because, I- uh… I like you, a lot. I started this whole 'Tabby' thing so I could possibly learn more about you. I'm… I'm glad I did." He admitted bashfully.
"Me too," she whispered. Keeping her arms entwined around his neck, she rose up on her tip-toes. Just as she brushed her lips against his, an alarm went off. Tabby rolled back his sleeve and pouted at his too-big watch.
"I gotta go." He said softly. He turned to leave but Rachel grabbed his wrist.
"Please, don't leave," she begged. Tabby shook his head morosely, tugging his arm free of her grasp. He fled, leaving Rachel behind with a large watch clasped in her hands, blinking "11:30".
- (Later that same night) -
Back in the confines of his room, Gar paced back and forth before falling backwards onto his bed. He stared up at his ceiling for a moment or two, and then suddenly sat up. He grinned, touching two fingers to his lips. "She kissed me." He sighed happily. He replayed the entire night in his mind, going over the kiss again, and again. Downstairs, the door opened, and Gar heard the mistress of the house walk in. He quickly threw back the covers, climbed into bed, and turned away from the door. Said door opened a crack as Madame Rouge poked her head in. Spotting her step-son asleep, her scarlet stained lips pulled into a smirk. Whatever affection she had shown him, vanished with his father. She disappeared from the doorway and Gar allowed himself to relax. He knew he would be freed from her demanding hold soon.
Rachel watched the stars out her window occasionally disappearing behind the dancing tree limbs. She'd had a wonderful time at the dance, but was disappointed her night with Tabby had come to an end. He'd been everything she dreamed he would be. If only she knew who he actually was. She had a hunch, but she wasn't one hundred percent sure. She rolled over, her eyes fixed on the tree's leaves. The color reminded her of Tabby's eyes. She groaned and sat up, reaching for her phone. She had to talk to someone about her feelings or she'd burst. She heard somebody on the other end pick up and smiled. "Hello, Kori,"
"…and he complimented smile and he's…he's simply amazing, Kori." Rachel whispered breathlessly. She'd just finished retelling the night's events to her friend, giving even the most minimal of details, and was patiently waiting for a response.
"I believe you are crushing on Tabby," the red-head giggled.
"I most certainly am not." She denied with an almost unseen blush.
"Rachel, I want you to imagine you're with Tabby and describe what you feel." Kori gently demanded. Rachel closed her violet-blue eyes and thought of Tabby. She imagined getting lost in his deep, green eyes, and felt a fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach. She was so shocked, she almost dropped her phone. "Rachel, are you still there?" Kori questioned.
"I-I like him…" Rachel murmured. She barely registered Kori squealing on the other end of the line before biding her goodbye and hanging up. Laying back on her bed and turning to her side, Rachel stared at the wall. She couldn't really like him, could she? Conjuring up another mental image, she blushed again. She did like him. Rachel honestly, truly liked Tabby. She decided then and there that she would find him. Smiling to herself, Rachel dreamed of what meeting Tabby would be like and drifted away from reality.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Monday morning, as he walked into the school, Gar saw countless guys lined up along the wall. Coming up behind the nearest one, Gar tapped him on the shoulder. Whoever-he-was turned around. "What's going on?" Gar asked him. Whoever-he-was grinned excitedly.
"Rachel's looking for this guy she danced with on Saturday night. All the guys that attended the dance are in this line." Gar blinked and looked at the head of the line. Shaking his head, he made his way to his locker. Knowing Rachel was preoccupied with all her suitors, he wrote another note and nonchalantly slipped it into her locker. Right as he was turning the corner he collided with someone, sending them, and him, to the floor. He blinked to clear his vision and a pair of violet-blue eyes came into focus.
"We've got to stop meeting like this," he joked.
"I'm sorry!" Rachel apologized. Gar stood up and offered his hand to help her up.
"It's fine," He reassured her. "My name's Gar, by the way,"
"I'm Rachel," she said unnecessarily. Gar chuckled and flashed his famous grin.
"I better get to class. See you later, Rae." He called.
"Wait!" Rachel called after him. "Do I know you?" She quizzed. Gar froze nervously. Did she recognize him?
"No, not personally," he denied.
Rachel watched Gar, the boy she'd run into twice, disappear down the hall. He'd been acting nervous about something. 'Both times were near my locker, he has green eyes, and he called me Rae!' She reminded herself. 'He could be Tabby.' Opening her locker, she witnessed another note float to the ground. "Well, Tabby was here, recently." She mumbled to herself as she opened the folded paper.
'Hey, Rae!' The note read. 'I heard you were looking for me. Here's a hint: we've met briefly before. Good Luck finding me! Your Friend, Tabby P.S; Can I have my Watch back? It used to belong to my father. Thank you, M' dear.'
Rachel looked at the watch she wore on her wrist and smiled. Slowly, a plan formed in her mind.
She steeled herself and walked through the cafeteria doors. Eyes scanning the student body, she spotted the table Gar was seated at. Running over plan again, she approached the table, trying to act as natural as possible. It helped that her table was nearby. "Hello, Tabby," She greeted him, nervously. What would happen if he wasn't Tabby? That would be embarrassing.
"Hey, Rae," he responded without looking up.
'So far, so good.' Rachel thought. "The Dance on Saturday was fun." She continued.
"Mm-Hmm," he hummed in reply. Rachel smirked; this was right where she wanted him. Now; for the final test.
"Here's your Father's watch." She placed the watch on the table before him.
"Thanks!" He said brightly. "So, you got my…note." Here; his brain caught up with his actions. "Awe, nuts," he pouted. Rachel laughed at his expression. He looked like a little kid that had been told they couldn't have an extra cookie before dinner. It was rather adorable.
Gar's face lit up at the sound of her laughter. Mission Accomplished! He'd gotten her to laugh, and he'd done it without hiding behind 'Tabby'. 'She's not mad at me for deceiving her?' He internally wondered. Gar voiced these thoughts as Rachel sat next to him.
"Your intentions were in the right place." She told him. "I can't stay mad at you." Gar breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if he could survive if Rachel was mad at him. From across the table, Victor smirked at the two. Both of them ignored him, and smiled shyly at each other. Gar was the first to break the silence.
"If you want to, you can sit with us at lunch tomorrow." He offered.
"I'd like that." Rachel nodded. Thinking quickly, Gar added a comment.
"Your friends are welcome to join us."
"I'll go tell them." She said, unusually cheerful. Gar watched her go then turned back to Vic with a dopey grin stretching across his face. Vic just laughed and shook his head. A moment later, Rachel returned followed by her two friends. "This is my Cousin, Richard, and his girlfriend/my best friend, Kori. Rich, Kori, this is Gar a.k.a 'Tabby' and his friend…uh…"
"Victor. Victor Stone." The football captain supplied. Quick greetings were exchanged and Kori, who could barely contain herself, sat across from Gar.
"You and Rachel and a cute couple," She squealed excitedly. Both Rachel and Gar averted their gaze. Gar glanced at Rachel out of the corner of his eye and cleared his throat nervously. His blush then got darker, if that were possible.
"We-we're not-uh- dating. But I-I'd like to be." That last bit sounded more like a question than he'd intended it to, and he inwardly winced. Carefully, he turned to Rachel with a quizzical look. She nodded shyly, biting her lip and turning away with a blush. Gar grinned, grabbing Rachel's hand and holding it tightly.
"So," Vic began. "There was a dance, which Gar attended. He danced with his princess, but had to leave early. Meanwhile, Rachel, over the course of the dance, fell in Love-"
"-Deep like," She corrected. It wasn't love, yet, but given time, it could be.
"-With him and went searching. She identified him with a Watch that he'd left behind. Why does this story sound so familiar?" He asked, smirking.
"Joyous! It is the story of…Ella of the Cinders, or as I believe it is called, Cinders-Ella!" Kori cried happily.
"Cinderella," Rich corrected gently.
"Okay, but where are you going with all this?" Gar quizzed Vic.
"Just that if Rachel is Princess Charming, doesn't that make you… Cinder-Fella?" He guffawed.
"Not cool, Dude!" Gar whined. The whole table laughed as the bell rang, sending the students scrambling to get to class.
And so, Cinder-Fella and his Princess Charming-
"Still NOT Funny!"
-Did the totally cliché and walked off to live happily-in-the-moment.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (Fin) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A/N: So this entire story was inspired by one of Beast Boy's quotes from my other story "Ice Breaker"; "Hey, Cinder-Fella, did you lose your Princess Charming?" as an insult to Cinderblock. Let's see how long it takes to make the connection. ^^'
Leave a review and let this authoress know how she did! S2