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Mentor. It was a role that Barbara Gordon found herself falling into more than choosing. Unlike Bruce, she never went out of her way to get involved with younger crime fighters. It just happened . And some days...some days it was the furthest thing from easy . Cassandra had been tough to deal with at times but Stephanie? Stephanie occasionally made Barbara rethink this whole thing, made her sigh and rub at her temples and want to smash her fists into her keyboards. That though, that was how Barbara knew Stephanie was worth it. She had a good heart, was dedicated and tough...tougher than she gave herself credit for. Even if sometimes she made Barbara want to call it quits, it was all worth it in the end. Especially on days like today.
Today Stephanie had talked her into going to the park, one of Gotham’s nicer features. Perfectly manicured grass, a clean, clear path lined with bushes filled with delicious smelling flowers. Somewhere in the distance, kids were playing on the playground. She could hear them giggle and scream, occasionally there would be a mother’s voice reminding them to ‘be safe’ or ‘play nice’ and that reminded Barbara of herself at times, constantly reminding Stephanie to be safe or play nice with Damian. Businessmen walked the concrete path hastily, carrying briefcases full of important paperwork, no doubt. The sun, surprisingly, was shining down on them and Barbara closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair and let it warm her face. Perfect .
“Your ice cream is going to melt.” Stephanie's voice broke through the silence as she sat on the park bench, in ripped jeans and a t-shirt. One leg was resting straight out, while the other was pulled up to her chest, a cone of black cherry ice cream in one hand and her phone in the other. “I didn’t buy you ice cream just so it could melt.” The blonde pointed out.
Instead of a snappy comeback, Barbara just rolled her eyes, licked at the bit of chocolate ice cream that had began to drip down the waffle cone toward her hand. “Why did you buy me ice cream and take me to the park?” She finally inquired. Curiosity had been plaguing her ever since Stephanie suggested the idea. Her first hunch had been Stephanie was going to ask for a night off or better equipment or something but none of that had happened yet.
“Can’t I be nice?”
“Can you? Yes. Do I trust you being nice? Absolutely not.” Barbara grinned, green eyes settling on the blonde. “Seriously Steph, what’s up?”
Stephanie sighed, continued eating her ice cream for a moment and seemingly ignoring the question. Finally, she turned her body on the bench to face Barbara, blue eyes looking at the ice cream in her hand. “I guess I just...I wanted to talk to someone about something and you seemed like the most logical choice which looking back at it now is probably stupid and we should just forget it and enjoy the non-rainy weather and -”
“ Stephanie ,” There it was, the times when Stephanie made Barbara simultaneously want to hug her and tear her own hair out. She settled back in her chair, making sure her only focus was on the current Batgirl. “You can tell me whatever you want to say, alright? You know you can talk to me. And I’m sure it’s not stupid.”
“It really is. I mean, it’s not something that’s your problem but I just...wasn’t sure who else to talk to about it and I dunno.” Her knee had been untucked, her foot now on the ground and her worn out sneakers kicking at the concrete, causing more scuff marks on the white parts.
“Steph,” Barbara tried again, her voice softer. “You don’t have to talk about it, but just know I’m here if you do want to talk about it. Okay?”
“Okay.” Stephanie fell silent, her attention falling back to her ice cream. She licked at the dripping mess a few more times before a dramatic sigh left her lips. “I know I could talk to my mom about this because, I mean, she’s great and all but I dunno.” She sighed, looking over at Barbara. “You’re kind of like the big sister I never had.”
Obviously, there was something about that that made Barbara feel good , like all this tiring nonsense wasn’t for nothing. If Stephanie thought of her as an older sister instead of a dictator or somebody out to ruin her fun or ‘poop on her parties’, she was doing something right. That elation didn’t last terribly long before Barbara nodded and spoke, “And like I said Steph, you can tell me anything.” Her voice was softer now, trying to find a tone that sounded motherly instead of instructional.
“Right.” More silence and it was beginning to bug Barbara. She would never push or pry or step too far into Stephanie’s privacy but her curiosity had definitely been stirred by the younger woman. Instead of speaking, she sat there and waited, didn’t stare and didn't bore holes into Stephanie’s skull to find the answers she wanted. She waited for Stephanie to speak again, and she finally did. “It’s just...I think...I think I’m bisexual.”
The confession wasn’t something Barbara had been expecting. She was expecting something huge , life-changing for the two of them. She smiled, a small giggle slipping past her lips before she could stop it. She saw the look on Stephanie’s face and knew she had to fix it quickly. “Steph, you had me thinking you’d done something incredibly stupid like messed with Damian’s cow or reminded Dick of his Discowing costume. Instead, you just wanted to say you’re bi? Sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I know there’s nothing wrong with it.” Stephanie said, rather defensively. “I just...I wanted to tell somebody. I wanted to say it out loud. It’s been in my head for so long and I had to get it out and - “
“Steph, it’s okay. Thank you for telling me first. I appreciate the trust you have in me.” Barbara said before finishing off her ice cream. She wiped her fingers and mouth off on the napkin in her lap before opening her arms, gesturing for the younger blonde to come closer. “Give me a hug.”
Stephanie was quickly scuttling across the bench until she was off of it and leaning down to hug Barbara, squeezing onto her. “Of course I trust you, like I said, you’re like my big sis. But can we...can we not tell anyone until I’m for sure?” She asked. “Or until I’m ready?” She pulled away, blue eyes searching Barbara’s for reassurance.
Reaching out, Barbara took Stephanie’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Your secret will be kept, Steph. I won’t tell anybody, it’s your secret to tell.” She promised.