Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans
I told someone I'd write a BB/Rae story, and I also had a bit of inspiration today, so here's a little story about them. I'm not sure I'll do more than one chapter, but I might depending on if people want me to and if I have time. Let me know what you think.
Garfield Logan stared.
It wasn't that he had never seen it before, nor did flowers usually catch his attention. He walked this way every day when he returned from class. He must've passed it at least a hundred billion times. It should have been just passing scenery, no more.
So why? Why had he only noticed it now?
Behind a neat, tiny little house and surrounded by a short, white fence, there was garden of flowers. Okay, so, well he saw flowers every day. Big deal.
But they weren't flowers like these! They didn't have the same, deep, evocative colors like these flowers. And normally, they didn't grow in such abundance. For another thing, every flower in eyesight was violet.
So whoever lives here has a thing for violet. 'Kay. Whatever. Not my business. They're just flowers.
Somehow, though, he just couldn't take his eyes off of them.
Sweeping a lock of blonde hair out of his eyes, he walked over to the fence door and pulled on it. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. Oh. Guess I'm not supposed to go on. Oh well.
Well, that was the end of that.
...
Just kiddin'. Like a little fence is gonna stop me. But wait. Won't it be like... like... what's that word? Uh, trespassing? Yeah, that.
"Hmm..."
Eh. You know what they say. Gotta stop 'n smell the roses. Not that there's any roses here, but, who cares! I'm not gonna do anythin' bad. I just wanna see what it's like inside. No harm in that.
Whistling quietly, Garfield put his hands on the top of the fence and swung his legs over. He landed on a small patch of grass. Boy, that was close. Not a lotta space to move around. Gotta be careful.
He looked around.
A the edges of the garden, the flowers were a little sparser and brighter in color. Patterned strings of pale violet emerged from the emerald greens of shrubs and other small plants. As he looked inward, the bushes were taller and the flowers grew gradually darker, from light mauve, to a dark plum. Inside, the flowers looked a little more delicate and well guarded by the bushes, like little buds of violet peeking out from the cover of verdigris leaves. Even farther in, the bushes came up to almost his height, grown in a small circle around the center.
Part of him wanted to stay and look longer, but then part of him was impatient and didn't really want to get caught. Gotta move.
He walked carefully toward the bushes, taking care not to disturb anything. There was a little space in the bushes, just big enough for him to squeeze through. Inside, sunlight and shadows drew a quietly shifting pattern across a bed of violet leaves of mixed hue. He looked toward the very center, then tilted his head in surprise. In the very middle, a single red carnation emerged from the sea of violaceous color surrounding it.
Cast in deep red, it stood alone. Somehow, the plant had only sprouted one.
Garfield took a short breath, then turned away. Damn. I wanted some for when I visited my parents, but definitely can't take that one. There's a lot more on the outside, though. Whoever owns this place probably wouldn't miss 'em if I just took a couple.
But that's kinda mean...
Yeah, but they're for mom. And these flowers are super good.
Still not cool.
But mom really liked flowers. Especially purple ones.
Dude, you can't just go takin' other peoples' stuff. Besides, what if some really big, buff guy owns this place?
Like a big buff guy would bother growin' flowers. It's obviously a girl.
And that makes it better?
It'll only be a couple. Come on, it's not that bad. It's-
"Excuse me?" A finger tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned immediately. Sheepish green eyes met a slightly irritated pair of violet ones. Garfield tried to step back, but a pair of pale hands caught his wrists and held him in place.
"Stop moving. You'll crush them."
He turned back. "Oh. Right. Yeah. My bad." Garfield looked back forward.
The girl standing in front of him was rather short - he knew, because she only came up to his shoulders, and he wasn't exactly tall either. It wasn't just that, though. She was very pale, almost like she hadn't seen the sun in years, and she was very petite, although the surprisingly strong grip on his wrists told him that she was not weak.
Her hair fell around her shoulders in soft, silky cascades of raven black. And her face...
"What are you doing here?" She snapped at him. "I locked that fence for a reason. Most people have the common sense to not just barge in."
Garfield shrugged. "Was just lookin'."
She released her grip on him and pinched the bridge of her nose. He kept staring. Despite the slight irritation marring her expression, her face was kind of pretty. Okay, maybe she wasn't the hottest girl he had ever seen, but the soft curves and angles to her angular face did give her a feminine quality that contrasted starkly with the slim, boyish figure of her body.
"Looking? Looking?" Her voice turned into a hiss. "And what, exactly are you looking at?" She put a finger under his chin and tilted his eyes back up to her face.
"O-oh. I was, um..."
"You pig. Keep your eyes off of me."
He scratched the back of his head. Alright, maybe it was his fault a little bit, but she did have a bit of an attitude. "Look. One, I wasn't checkin' you out or anything. No offense, but it's not like you got a lot to show anyway."
Crimson tainted her pale cheeks. Somehow, despite the growing anger in her eyes, it made her look... cute?
"Are you calling me flat?"
"No, no no, no. I'm sayin' you're not my type. I like blondes. And tall girls. And girls with big boobs- ah- err..."
She wrinkled her nose. It looked like she was trying very hard to keep from hitting him. "Just leave."
"Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. I was just curious!"
"You have ten seconds to get out of here. Ten."
"Dude, I'm tryin' to be nice-"
"Nine."
"I wasn't even doin' anything-"
"Eight."
"You're actually okay looking!"
"Seven."
"I thought your garden looked really cool!"
"Six."
"I just wanted a couple of flowers."
Her eyes widened a little. She stepped on his foot, then start up at him. Despite the height difference, she seemed very menacing somehow. "And you were going to take them without even asking me. You were going to rob me."
Dude, I told you this was a bad idea! And you made it worse by calling her flat! How are you gonna get out of this now?
"I, uh..."
"I should call the police on you."
"No! Wait, wait. I just wanted two. 'Cause, well..."
"Yes?"
Just tell her the truth.
No way, that's private! I can't just tell that to a stranger...
Yes, but you also broke into a stranger's place and the first word outta your mouth was makin' fun of her.
"Um, I wanted 'em formymom," he blurted out the last few words rapidly.
She raised an eyebrow, but the tense anger in her face faded a little. Green eyes met violet ones again. His shimmered brightly, glowing like sparkling pools of emerald. Hers were strikingly violet, dark and mysterious, withdrawn and reserved. She drew a little closer, the deep pair of amethysts piercing into him.
Actually, when she thought about it more closely, his eyes were not so bright after all. There were little currents of emotion running underneath... what were they? He was nervous. No surprise there. He was... afraid? He was hiding something. He wasn't being totally truthful, but at the same time, it wasn't a malicious sort of deceit either. He really did want those flowers.
"For your mother," the violet eyed girl repeated slowly. "I see. That makes more sense. You aren't the type to like flowers."
She's creepy. Feels like she can tell what I'm thinkin'. That's kinda weird.
"Come this way."
"Wait, what-"
She tugged on his arm, leading him back through the shrubbery. Taking out a pair of small scissors, she ran her slender, pale fingers over one of the plants, then clipped away a couple strands of lilac and held them out to him [1].
"Really? You sure that's okay?"
She rolled her eyes. "Look. You seem to have a decent reason for wanting these. I have no idea why you don't just buy flowers from the store, but-"
"Expensive. And yours are wayyyyy better."
Faint crimson tinged her cheeks again. "Regardless, I would have much preferred if you had just asked. I put in a lot of work to take care of these. While I do not mind if they are put to good use... I would prefer if you didn't just walk in and steal without my permission."
Garfield rubbed the back of his head, grinning. "Yeah, sorry. Look, I don't have money on me right now, but I'll make sure to pay ya back-"
"It's fine." She turned away. "You probably don't have a lot of money anyway."
"You sure?" Whoa. Even though she looked real mad earlier, she's actually super nice! Maybe she's not so bad after all. "And how would you know somethin' like that?"
"Because you always dress shabbily and your lunches are always small."
...
He seized her shoulders. She shuddered a bit and broke the touch, looking a little irritated again.
"What?"
"How would you know that?"
Violet eyes blinked, a little surprised. "I'm in a couple of your classes."
What? I've never even seen her before. "... really?"
"Yes, really. I know I don't stand out, but it's been a whole semester..."
"Ah, sorry. Guess I didn't look hard enough." He stuck his hand out. "Name's Garfield. Garfield Logan."
She stared. A couple moments passed in silence. "As cool as you are trying to make yourself sound, it only makes you seem like an idiot."
"Hey! I actually get good grades!"
The insult stung for a moment, but the grin never left his face. Something about her posture and the way she said it made it seem like she didn't really mean it. Like, I mean, after her whole 'Miss Angry Face' earlier and threanin' to call the police, she still ended up givin' me the flowers. She's actually a lot nicer than she looks. She just talks rough.
He retracted his hand. "So..."
"I'm Rachel."
She took a little breath, then bit her lip awkwardly. The slight slump of her shoulders and the drab darkness of her clothing completely changed the aura around her once again. It was shyer now, demure and reserved. Despite her lack of curves and the emotionless mask of her face, somehow she seemed... pretty?
Nah. Get your head on straight, Logan! You're just thinkin' that 'cause you've been single for too long. And you owe her a little somethin' for the flowers. She's way not your type.
"Right. Anyway, I better get goin'. Thanks for the flowers. Really, thanks a lot. I owe ya one."
Rachel rolled her eyes again. "Just don't step on anything on your way out."
"Right. Oh yeah, one more thing."
"Yes?"
"Was just wonderin', why're all the flowers here purple besides that red one in the center?"
The dark haired girl turned away. "I'm waiting for something special to happen. I want to keep the carnation for then. The red one, in case you didn't know."
"Hmm. 'Kay. Well, see ya in class."
She's got a lotta secrets. Figures. Well, not my business! Gotta get goin'.
"Bye."
Morning
Dawn broke. The sun worked its way across the sky, casting its golden glow over the land. A couple hours passed, then clouds began to roll in, covering the heavens with a shroud of dark grey. A small drizzle of rain began to fall.
...
Rachel stretched her arms, then grabbed her phone. 11. Woke up late. But, it's the weekend, so whatever.
She got out of bed, spent a bit of time in the bathroom, then went down to her garden. She looked up at the sky. Rain, huh. I won't have to water today, then. Hmm, then what should I do today? Classes don't start until two weeks from now, so I've got a lot of free time. Maybe I'll go out... hmm...
"Hmm..." Rachel put a finger to her lips.
But the problem is, I don't really have any friends to go out with. And going out alone... it wouldn't be bad, if people wouldn't look at me funny. Or if guys didn't just try to randomly hit on me. Maybe staying at home is better.
The rain began falling harder. It soaked through her hair and clothes as she stood there, lost in thought. Rachel heaved a little sigh, then began wandering around her garden. It was an abundance of verdant life, the myriad hues of violet and green mixed in a quiet, melancholic mosaic in the falling rain. The soft pitter patter of the water formed a steady rhythm against the assorted aromas of the lavender, and lilac, and all of the other flowers... it was serene, and peaceful, a safe haven from the otherwise frantic city life.
Rain floated gently by, caressing her skin in its cool embrace. The petals of the flowers were silky and smooth. Violet and grey brought a tinge of gloom to the garden, but then, she didn't really mind. It was all her life had ever been, after all.
Memories came back briefly. There were screams and blood, the brute force of heavy blows raining down on her body, the bright blade of a knife, and-
She closed her eyes and shut it out.
Her breath came out in short, low gasps.
Without realizing it, her feet had taken her to the center of her garden. She knelt by the red carnation in the center, reached a hand out toward it, and-
No.
Rachel drew her hand back. She turned away. The memories came back.
There was so much blood, but it wasn't her own. There was so much pain, aching muscles and broken bones. The fading gasps of faltering breathing and the awful, hoarse death rattle echoed through her ears. She was pinned against the ground. Rough fingers fumbled at her waist, and suddenly she was bare, blood dripping down all over her naked skin. Above her, the demon chuckled darkly at the fear etched on her face, relishing her helplessness.
She had to run. She ran and ran. His shouts were permeated with murderous intent behind her. Her head throbbed painfully and her legs felt like jelly, but she couldn't stop. He was right behind her. The demon's voice was wicked and depraved in her ears. He was on top of her. There was more pain, and more blood... and then blazing sirens and blinding lights... and relief. Bells tolled in the distance.
Ding.
The chimes in the nearby church struck twelve.
"Whoa. You're soaked."
Abruptly, the rain above her head stopped. She turned, a little surprised. Dark, almost black irises met a shining pair of green ones.
"Um... you okay? Something happen?"
Rachel shook her head. "I'm... fine. Why are you here?"
Something about the pained expression marring her face tore at his heart. She was obviously very good at hiding it, but he knew that expression like the back of his hand. There was no mistaking it. It's the same. She looks like I did, when both mom and dad died. Wait. Don't tell me-
"Rachel. What's wrong?"
"It's not your business," she snapped. "I'm fine. Are you going to answer my question?"
Irritation bubbled up. "Dude. I'm just concerned."
"I realize that. However, I am fine."
"Right..."
Guess she doesn't trust me. Figures. Wait. Why the hell do I care anyway? She's basically just a stranger, right? I barely even know her... yeah, but I'd be kind of a dick if I didn't even try to help her after seein' that face. I guess I should at least try 'n cheer her up. She looks so sad.
"Well anyway, hey. Here, I brought ya somethin'," Garfield held out a little package to her.
Rachel frowned. "For..?"
"For the flowers. I always pay my debts."
"Oh. But I told you... you didn't have to."
"I wanted to. Open it."
She opened it tentatively. Inside, there was a little, glass figurine, formed into the shape of a raven and tinged faintly violet.
"Went to the glass shop this mornin'," Garfield beamed at her. "Made it with my own two hands. Was lucky to find some of these moulds lying around. I thought it was pretty and you might like it for your garden-"
"Thank you," Rachel's murmured very softly. It's like the one mother gave me. Her lips trembled. "I don't deserve this."
Damn, she's gettin' all moody again. She's so different than she was yesterday. How the hell 'm I supposed to deal with this? Uh... how do you even cheer girls up?
"Hey, a man's gotta give a pretty gift to a pretty girl."
Her eyes snapped up. "You already called me flat yesterday and said I wasn't your type. And man? Don't flatter yourself."
"My tastes change quickly, okay? Sheesh." Garfield's stomach rumbled loudly at that exact moment. "Speakin' of tastes..."
"You haven't eaten yet?"
"Nah. Wanted to drop this off first. You?"
"I have not partaken in anything either."
"Right... so, wanna get lunch then?"
Surprise flitted through Rachel's eyes. Garfield tilted his head.
"What, I say somethin' bad?"
"No... no... yes, I would not mind. Where did you want to go?" Yes, this is what normal people do, after all. It's sometimes hard to be alone forever.
"Uh, there's a new pizza place down the street. You like pizza?"
"Of course. Just let me change first-" Rachel sighed. "-no, you cannot watch."
"Aww, okay. I'll be waitin' here then."
The dark haired girl walked back toward her house. She passed briefly by the carnation at the center of her garden, and the tiniest of smiles touched her lips.
[1] Look up what lilacs symbolize, if you are interested.
A/N: So, should I make more?