Title: Kiss Me

Summary: Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight…Troy finds inspiration in a song and hatches a romantic plan to ask Gabriella to be his girlfriend. Written for the ZA Angels Write-off Challenge.

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: High School Musical and all of its characters belong to Disney. I'm just borrowing them for a while…besides, Disney would never let their characters have this much fun! I also don't own Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer, which I suggest you listen to while reading this.

A/N: Ok, I figured as an admin at ZA Angels I should lead by example and write a one-shot for the Write-Off challenge and this is what my muse decided on. This is complete and utter unadulterated sap and I claim zero liability for any cavities it may cause. In addition, Albuquerque's Rio Grande Botanic Gardens are real and I've described them as best I can from the photos I've seen, though I've taken some creative license with the hours of operation etc.

"This is all your fault."

Troy flopped backwards on the bed, disturbing the pile of dirty clothes sitting haphazardly on the end. Reaching out, he switched on his bedside radio with one hand and adjusted the phone against his ear with the other as he heard his best friend snort indignantly.

"My fault? How is your inability to ask out a girl, who by the way almost knows more about you than I do and still hasn't headed for the hills, my fault?" Chad asked incredulously.

It had been almost 3 weeks since the events the Wildcats had dubbed 'The Triple Win' has transpired and on every one of those 20 days, Troy had woken up with the intention of asking Gabriella, his sweet angel-voiced freaky math girl Gabriella to be his girlfriend. Fate seemed to have other plans however, and all of his attempts had been foiled by well-meaning friends (friendicide prompted by extreme frustration is defendable in court right?), not-so-well-meaning teachers (Darbus was the devil in disguise, there was no other explanation) or his own cowardice (yellow was in vogue this season he'd heard).

Scooping up his basketball and almost absent-mindedly spinning it on his finger, Troy sighed exasperatedly into the mouthpiece.

"We've been over this, if you had used the one brain cell hiding underneath that afro of yours to realise that I was about to kiss Gabriella and not interrupted us, she'd be my girlfriend already. Don't you know the guy code? Never interrupt a homeboy when he's about to score!"

"Homeboy? Dude, don't even go there," came Chad's reply with a chuckle, "And the guy code is nothing but a myth perpetrated by girls to explain male behaviour."

Troy sat silent for a moment, lifting the phone away from his ear to check that he was truly talking to his best friend, before managing to find his voice.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with the real Chad Danforth? Wait, don't answer that, let me guess…Taylor's smarts are rubbing off on you."

"That's not the only thing of Taylor's that's rubbing off on me," came the quick retort.

"I really didn't need to know that," Troy groaned, dropping the basketball with a thud.

"Look man, I gotta go but if you want my advice, just ask Gabriella already! You know, I know, everybody knows that the only answer she's gonna give is yes."

Before Troy could reply, he heard the distinct click of a phone being disconnected followed by a steady beep. Chucking the handset onto the bed beside him, he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

At this rate, I'll be old and grey before Gabriella and I go on one lousy date.

His musings were interrupted by his mother's voice floating up the stairs.

"Troy, come set the table for dinner please!"

"I'll be there in a minute mom!"

Standing and stretching, Troy leant over to switch off the radio when the lyrics of the soft pop/rock ballad currently playing swept through his mind. It wasn't a new song, he could remember hearing it a few years back, but as he listened, an idea began to take shape in his mind.

No, that's not just an idea, that's a plan…a good plan if I do say so myself.

Crossing over to his bookshelf, he pulled out the East High Student Directory and began flipping through the pages.

"Nielsen, Nielsen, Niel…ah, here we are," he muttered under his breath as he retrieved his phone from the bed. Punching in the number, he waited a few seconds before a female voice answered,

"Nielsen Residence, Kelsi speaking."

"Kelsi, it's Troy. Look, I need a favour…"

"I'm a leper."

"Huh?"

"A leper, that's the only explanation I can think of for why Troy's been avoiding me the past few days."

Gabriella, Taylor and Martha sat under the shade of a large oak tree at the edge of the school oval, with their chemistry textbooks and notebooks spread out between them.

"You're not a leper, hell, you're not even social leper like us intelligent human beings used to be at this school," Taylor retorted as Martha nodded in agreement.

"Ok fine, then if I'm not a leper the only alternative is…" Gabriella closed her eyes as she searched for an explanation, "Is, that Troy only likes me as a friend but he knows I like him as more and he doesn't know how to deal," she exclaimed with a flourish, slamming her book shut.

"Gabriella, I don't think…" Martha started to interject but the girl in question merely held up her hand.

"It makes perfect sense, I'm like…like the Willow to his Xander, if Xander was actually hot like Angel."

Taylor shook her head in amusement,

"Someone's been having a Buffy-fest pity party," she commented.

"Tragic romances are my comfort food," Gabriella shrugged before sighing despondently.

Taylor and Martha exchanged looks and had just silently agreed to put Operation Cheer Up Gabriella into action, when a shadow fell across their books. A nervous looking freshman wearing a basketball practice jersey and carrying a creamy envelope stood before them, clearing his throat.

"Gab…Gabriella Montez?"

Gabriella lifted her head and nodded, prompting the freshman to hold out the envelope which she gently pulled out of his hands before watching him sprint off as if the hounds of hell were after him.

"Somebody's got an admirer," Taylor teased as Gabriella looked at the envelope with a frown.

"This is Troy's handwriting," she whispered, tracing her fingertips over her name.

"You've known the guy 4 weeks and you already have his writing style memorised?" Martha asked with disbelief, "You've got it bad girl."

Ignoring the sarcastic remarks, Gabriella slid her fingernail underneath the flap with careful precision and pulled a piece of paper from within. Her eyes scanned the letter, widening with shock that quickly turned to happiness and hope as the words sank in.

"Well, don't leave us hanging, what does it say?" Taylor asked impatiently, her fingers making a motion to snatch the paper away.

"It's an invitation," Gabriella said quietly before a wide grin split her lips, "An invitation to meet Troy at the Rose Garden in the Rio Grande Botanic Gardens at 7:00pm on Friday," she practically squealed.

"Seems like your status has just been upgraded from being the Willow to his Xander, to being the Buffy to his Angel," Taylor remarked with a sly smile, "Just try not to let loose his psychotic evil side ok?"

A passing sophomore jogger was momentarily startled as gales of laughter rang out into the afternoon air.

"How do I look?"

"The same as the last 10 times you asked me Gabi, you look beautiful…this Troy of yours won't know what hit him."

Gabriella checked her reflection in the car's side mirror again, tucking a stray curl behind her ear before flattening down some imaginary creases in her clothes. Troy's invitation had come with only one stipulation…that she had to wear the same red dress and shoes she'd worn on the day of the Triple Win, or as she liked to call it, the day she'd almost had her first kiss. Her inexperience in these matters was not something she liked to dwell on, but the fact was that the constant interstate moves had not been very conducive to forming romantic attachments of any kind and she absolutely refused to count the quick kiss bestowed upon her by Dylan McCallum as a dare in Grade 7 as her first.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back from the car and nodded to her mother.

"Have fun sweetheart, and remember be home by…"

"By 11, I know."

Her mom blew her a kiss, then shifted the car into drive and pulled away from the kerb. Gabriella turned to face the entrance gate into Rio Grande and with deliberate steps, headed towards what would hopefully be her happy ending.

Troy nervously tugged at his dress shirt as he checked his watch for what felt like the millionth time. The sun had long disappeared and silvery strands of moonlight illuminated the darkened vine archway in which his date should soon be appearing through. Twisting his head, he nodded at the hidden figures covered in the shadows of the rose-covered pavilion behind him. A steady click-clack drew his attention back towards the archway before him as Gabriella emerged from its depths. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face, her beautiful red dress showing off her petite figure to perfection. She stopped a metre in front of him and gave a nervous smile. Troy opened his mouth but found he had no words, not even able to get a simple hello past his lips. The two teenagers just stared at each other for a second before Gabriella's gaze dropped to the ground as she blurted out,

"Your shoes don't match."

Blinking for a second in confusion, he looked down at his feet and gave a chuckle of recognition as he showed off his basketball trainers from underneath his black trousers.

"Yeah, apparently I left my dress shoes behind in Colorado and it was either these or my slippers," he admitted sheepishly.

The ice broken, Troy stepped forward to give Gabriella the single white rose he'd had hidden behind his back.

"You look beautiful," he commented shyly, prompting a faint blush to spread across Gabriella's cheeks.

"Thanks, you scrub up pretty nice yourself there Wildcat," she replied, as she tucked the rose into her hair. Her gaze darted around, taking in the myriad of white roses behind Troy, all blooming magnificently underneath the light of the moon, before returning to settle on him questioningly.

Gulping down a deep breath of air, Troy gathered his nerves and extended his hand towards her,

"Would you care to dance with me?"

Now it was her turn to blink in confusion,

"There's no music," she said uncertainly even as she grasped his hand in her own.

Troy smiled and swept his other hand behind him. The pavilion suddenly lit up in a burst of radiance, as tiny fairy lights wound around the wooden pillars and in amongst the rose-covered roof flared to life. It looked as if a swarm of fireflies had made the pavilion their home and had all decided to glow in unison. Gabriella could now see Kelsi (who gave her a small wave) and a few other members of the school band set up at the back of the pavilion, instruments at the ready.

"You did all this…for me?" she asked in a tone of awe.

Troy just nodded and pulled her into his arms, as he inclined his head towards the band. Kelsi grinned in response as they began to play the opening strains of the song which had inspired Troy's romantic gesture.

Kiss me, out of the bearded barley

Nightly, beside the green, green grass

The two swayed gently to the music, becoming more comfortable together by the second. Gabriella let her head drop against Troy's shoulder as his arms tightened around her waist.

Swing, swing, swing the spinning step

You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress

As Audrey, the glee club's best soloist launched into the chorus, Troy cleared his throat, prompting Gabriella to look up at him, the fairy lights reflecting in her eyes.

"Gabriella, would you like, I mean will you…will you be my girlfriend?"

A brilliant smile lit up her features as she nodded happily,

"I'd love to be your girlfriend Wildcat."

A look of pure relief blossomed in Troy's eyes as he slowly lowered his head and brushed the faintest of kisses across Gabriella's waiting lips, before gently increasing the pressure. After a few moments he pulled back and the two shared a smile as they continued to sway to the music, the moonlight over head shining serenely down.

Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight

Lead me out on the moonlit floor

Lift your open hand

Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance

Silver moon's sparkling

So kiss me.