Chapter Text
“Cass, do you trust me?”
Cass nodded.
“Okay, close your eyes.”
Cass obliged, and Stephanie’s face (that had been extremely close to Cass’s) disappeared from view.
There were a few moments when nothing happened, but then Cass felt a light tickle on her eyelids.
“Hey- hey, keep them still! If you want me to do your makeup, you have to let me, you know, actually do it.” Steph laughed.
Cass opened her mouth to speak her assent, but Steph put a finger to her lips — (“Stop moving!”) — so she just nodded minutely instead.
A few more minutes went by of Steph fluttering around with different makeup products that Cass barely knew anything about before she finally said—
“All done! You can open your eyes!”
When she opened her eyes, Steph was sitting in front of her on the bed with a mirror in hand.
She managed to get a good look at her new appearance — Steph gave her a bit of blush, some natural lipstick, but the most striking thing was her eyes. Steph had drawn this extravagant eyeliner on her, swooping and curving and cutting sharp like a knife on her orbital bones.
Cass wouldn’t call herself a vain person, but even she had to admit, Steph had made her look, well, good. Like, beautiful, almost.
It was at that point Cass had realised that she hadn’t actually said anything yet — accentuated by Stephanie’s nervous fidgeting and darting eyes.
“This is— really good. Pretty. Thank you.” Cass said, smiling when she turned away from the mirror and towards Steph. She wasn’t especially good with her words, so she didn’t have much else to say, but given by the way Steph was now grinning ear to ear, she didn’t need to.
“You’re very welcome! Now go get changed! Your outfit’s going to go so well with that eyeliner!” Steph said, lifting herself off of the bed and shooing Cass out of the room.
Cass heard (and felt) the door close behind her and took it as her cue to start getting changed.
She’d only seen her dress in passing before — Steph had decided to keep it as a surprise for her because apparently it matches her own. She knew that it was black… but that’s about it.
Cass found the garment zipped up in one of those fancy bags, resting neatly on her bed. When she undid the zip, she found out that it wasn’t actually a dress. It was a suit.
It was black (which she knew) with yellow accents on the lapel and pockets. There were three pieces to it, the blazer, pants, and waistcoat. The pants were actually quite interesting though, because upon further inspection, she could see that it actually flared out into a skirt at the waist. The ‘skirt’ started along the middle seam at the front and ended at the middle seam at the back, which was sure to make a unique silhouette
It was, in a way, reminiscent of her various suits over the years. Obviously there was the black and yellow colour scheme, but it looked, well, a bit like home. It’s hard to explain, but looking at this outfit, Cass just knew it was made for her (evident by the fact that she had already located all the secret pockets to hide her weapons and gadgets). Just like those suits made her feel.
As she tugged it on, that feeling of home only got deeper. The material was beautiful, and just stretchy enough that her movement wasn’t restricted at all. It fit her perfectly, and as she twirled experimentally in the mirror, the skirt followed her and settled against her leg like a gentle caress. It was almost masculine seeming, but the silhouette was anything but.
Going by the fact that there are no tags on the suit, it must be custom made. She wondered who came up with this design.
Her mind wandered to Stephanie, and while they don’t say ‘think of the devil’, that must work too, because soon after there was a knock on her door accompanied with a — “Are you decent?”
“Come in.” Cass said, still looking at herself in the mirror.
Steph entered the room wearing a gorgeous purple dress with silver accents in the same style as Cass’s. It was sleeveless and had a deep v-neck (not so unlike Dick’s old Discowing suit (although, in Cass’s opinion, it looked much better on Stephanie)). There was an extravagant silver belt cinching her waist and bringing attention to the flowy ruffles of the skirt. The skirt was long at the back, forming a short train, while it became shorter at the front so Steph could still move easily, without the skirt getting in the way of her legs.
It was, to put it quite simply, stunning .
While Cass already found Steph quite beautiful, this dress seemed to amplify that tenfold. Not necessarily because of the dress, but the confidence it gave Steph. Just by walking in the room, Cass noticed her subtle strut, and her head held higher than usual. It was a powerful look on her.
So much so that Cass was just staring at her. She hadn’t even realised she hadn’t said anything until Stephanie cleared her throat.
She looked uncharacteristically nervous.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Stephanie.” Cass said. She didn’t even trip on her words once.
Steph’s cheeks grew red and her posture became more confident. “Thank you— and you look really actually handsome in that. Like, really good. Perfect.”
While Cass was an expert in maintaining her own body and facial language, she let a smile slip here. Because, honestly, she couldn’t help it. “Thank you.”
Steph nodded and stretched out her arm for Cass to take.
“Ready to go to the gala now?”
Cass groaned and grabbed Steph’s hand to pull her down next to her. “I completely forgot about that.”
She was too caught up in the makeup and the outfits and how breathtaking Stephanie looked— she forgot that after this they’d actually have to go to the gala they’re getting dressed up for.
Steph smiled sympathetically. “I wish we didn’t have to go.”
“Well, you don’t have to go. I have to go.” Cass said, wrapping her arm around Steph’s and leaning her head on her shoulder.
“Sure I do. I could never leave you alone. Plus, the manor would be super boring without you here.” Steph said, resting her own head atop Cass’s.
“What would I do without you?” Cass sighed.
“Probably the exact same thing you’re doing now. Just a bit sadder and missing some sparkle— ooh, you would look really good with some sparkly makeup I bet!”
Cass shook her head. “Glitter gets everywhere.”
“Yeah, suppose you’re right… and we wouldn’t have time either because we have to leave now.” Steph said, standing up and yanking Cass along with her.
“I already wish it was over.”