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Cass stood propped up against her crutches staring at the vast training area in her home— in the cave Batman had trusted her enough with. The cast on her foot felt odd and unfamiliar; a weight she wasn't really used to. If she got hurt she'd just walk it off and it'd have healed eventually—not that she got hurt easily anymore.
She had intended to do just that until Stephanie kept asking her questions which meant she was worried, still something Cass wasn't totally used to either, so Cass promised to get it looked at. Now, Oracle had said to keep pressure off her foot so Cass leaned on her crutches obediently.
Cass was sure she could fight with her crutches acting as an extension of her limbs, however, she was wary of the control and precision she could manage whilst balancing on just one foot. She couldn't protect Gotham if she had doubts—not if there was even a slight chance she could end someone's life.
She opened her mouth to start the simulation but was interrupted by the doorbell going off. In question, Cass turned to the screen of her batcomputer up in the loft to see Stephanie's face pressed up against the camera.
She smiled slightly amused at only being able to see the corner of her face—her freckles like small constellations against her brown skin obscured slightly by small blonde curls adorning her cheeks.
“Yoo-hoo! Batghoul? You better be in there,” Steph's voice echoed into the silence of her cave, filling the dark corners, “It’s your beautiful girlfriend. Open up!”
Cass let her in as requested—not that she was going to do anything else but. She watched as Steph barged in through the door a bag slung over her shoulder while she held a couple of boxes which Cass recognized as board games once she was close enough.
She was wearing a purple crop top paired with some low rise jeans and her worn out purple converse. Her hair was down which pulled Cass in to watch as her golden curls framed her face and fell against her shoulders as she dropped the bag on the floor followed by setting down the boxes beside it.
Cass barely processed Steph crossing the room until her arms were around her neck resting on her shoulders. She could only nuzzle her face into the crook of her neck since her hands were still occupied with holding herself up. However, it didn't keep Cass from sighing softly into the warmth and closed her eyes until Steph pulled away—not enough to completely let go but enough for Steph's eyes to scan over her.
“Are you alright? Oracle informed me of all the details. Are you sure it was just your foot? Are you resting? Eating alright?” Steph rambled in obvious worry.
Her brows were slightly knitted, Cass noticed, and the grip on her shoulders was slightly tighter than usual. Steph's muscles seemed tense as she talked as if filling the silence would keep the truth locked away long enough. For what, though; Cass didn't know yet.
Cass waited until Steph asked everything she needed to. It was comforting how much she cared—how she turned her emotions into words. You see, movement is fleeting and only its effects are ever truly noticed but words can be forever. Cass hung on to that truth, she hoped Steph's words would haunt her long after and stronger than her past.
“I’m okay,” Cass replied with a soft, hopefully reassuring, smile. She was, really, but her hands still gripped around her crutches as something dark flooded her veins thinking of not going out to defend Gotham. She had failed and was a disappointment and everyone knew. Batman knew.
Steph caught onto her self-deprecation. Her eyes narrowed before opening excitedly, “Oh!” she remarked excitedly, “I guess I have you all to myself then!”
She walked to her bag and rummaged through it until she pulled out a huge stack of cards, Cass assumed.
“C’mon! I have the whole night planned,” she patted the spot beside her excitedly and Cass could only follow.
“What are we playing?” Cass asked, eyeing the cards in Steph's hands.
“UNO,” Steph said simply before handing out seven cards to each of them, “to win you have to be the first to be left with no cards.”
Cass looked at her different colored cards and waited for Steph to continue, “There are ‘official’ rules but no one plays by them so we're going to play my way” she explained like it was common sense.
Cass only nodded as Steph continued to explain, “You can only set down a card that's the same color as the one in the middle, unless the card being set down has the same number. The card with the twisted arrow changes the direction of the order of playing characters and the crossed circle skips the next player's turn.”
Steph set out the cards she mentioned from the stack in front of her as she explained. It was quite endearing noticing how her voice took on a more serious and authoritative tone so Cass smiled softly.
“This one,” Steph pointed at a black card with all the colors in a circle in the middle, “is used to change to whatever color and then the cards with plus two or plus four means the player next to you has to take from the pile.”
Steph looked at her now very seriously with her index finger waving around frantically as if Cass was about to fight her on the rules, “You can put a plus four over a plus two but only a plus two over a plus four if it's the color the person who put down the plus four has said. If you can't put down any cards during your turn you take from the deck until you can.”
Cass nodded in acquiescence and smirked up at Steph as they began to play. They played for a while until Cass had won five out of five games.
“You’re counting cards,” Steph accused pointedly as she took 24 cards from the deck, “No one's ever this lucky!”
Cass let out a full belly laugh making Steph freeze slightly as she rearranged her cards. She smiled up at Cass through her cards, her irritation forgotten for a moment.
“Not,” Cass replied as she set down a blue two over the blue 5 in the middle, “UNO!” she proclaimed causing Steph's brows to furrow before smacking down a blue plus two onto the pile of cards between them.
“Ha!” Steph smiled arching her brow proudly waiting for Cass to take two from the deck. Cass, however, set down the gren plus two she had left in her hand after guessing Steph would try not to let her win and knowing all the plus fours had already been used.
Steph only gasped in shock, setting down another plus two above Cass’s green one, “Ha! Now you take six from the deck!”
“I already won,” Cass said calmly, trying to contain her laughter but ultimately failing. Steph dropped her cards in front of her in irritation.
“Never playing UNO with you ever again,” Steph started crossing her arms to which Cass could only laugh.
As she laughed, though, she didn't notice the soft glint in Steph's eyes as she watched Cass, ultimately she decided she would lose to anything forever if it kept Cass laughing like this.
Steph couldn't contain her irritation much longer and began to laugh alongside Cass. Their laughter fusing in the air filled the shadows Steph's mere presence hadn't fully burned away.
Once Steph caught her breath she crawled over to lean in front of Cass, “What about a movie?” she asked, smiling innocently; her cheeks were rosed in a blush and Cass couldn't help her gaze drop to her lips.
Cass nodded, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. Steph smiled even more now, “Great, we can make out through the boring bits,” she said nonchalantly getting up to rummage through her bag.
Excitement spread throughout her body as she felt her stomach do backflips. Cass got up on her own, appreciative that Steph hadn't offered to help. Just because her foot was broken didn't mean she was useless. Cass wasn't useless. And, maybe, Steph silently understood that in some way.
Cass made out the name of the DVD in Steph's hand to read “Bottoms”. She didn't recognize the name aside from Steph having mentioned it once or twice while saying she just ‘had to see it with Cass’.
She sat on her bed setting her crutches to the side as Steph put the disc into the computer. Cass was startled at Steph's half-gasp half-yell turning to look at her questioningly.
“I almost forgot to sign your cast!” she explained making her way quickly to her bag to take out a purple marker from the front pocket.
“What?” Cass asked deadpan.
“Sign your cast so you'll get better soon,” Steph explained walking back towards her.
“I don't like magic,” Cass said, eyeing the marker cautiously.
“It’s not magic. It's a gesture– something people do– so you know they care and want you to get better soon,” she said softly while sitting down in front of Cass taking her foot into her lap. Her touch was light and Cass could only watch as she uncapped the marker.
After a silent moment Steph finally exclaimed, “There you go!” She smiled up at Cass. It felt like she was looking directly at the sun. Like the rays finally found her in the shadows of the darkness that made them shine, warming her cold existence.
Cass looked down, ‘Get better soon, batghoul! Love you’ was written in purple cursive letters signed bellow with Steph followed by a heart.
Her chest filled with something she couldn't quite place but never wanted to lose or let go of. She stared for a while and Steph only smiled at her.
Finally, Steph got up to start the movie before crawling into bed beside her. The movie played behind them but Cass could barely hear it as she looked at Steph above her. Their lips pressed together and Cass sighed, almost relieved.
“I actually did want to watch this movie,” Steph said before pecking her lips again. Cass hummed and turned to face the screen pulling Steph against her chest wrapping an arm around her torso. They fell asleep like that and Cass couldn't remember half of the movie if she was honest.
Truthfully, Cass didn't really believe she had a soul but she knew she had a heart and tonight was the proof that it laid against her chest.