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As she listened to the overplayed pop on the radio, Steph wondered how her life had gotten to this point. She could've been a normal teenage girl, but instead she had to spend weeks analyzing crime patterns and trying to convince her best friend to come and “hang out” at the newest cute local coffee shop, like girlfriends (platonic) do.
As Cass walked through the door, Steph felt her heart rate spike as she realized she was woefully unprepared. Her ripped black jeans and purple crop top made her look like a mess compared to Cass, who was effortlessly gorgeous whatever she wore. This outfit however, was anything but whatever, with a black hoodie draped over her lithe frame and khaki joggers that fit just right, and a Gotham Knights baseball cap with just a few hairs peeking out.
As Cass started looking around for her with an expression not dissimilar from when she enters a fight, Steph called out, “Cass, hi!! Over here by the outlets! I wasn’t sure what you wanted so I just got us waters for now,” while trying not to sound too overexcited. While putting her phone away, she quickly checked her face to make sure no stubble was visible, and upon confirming that she was fully clean shaven she slid her phone into her bag and braced herself for the performance of a lifetime.
“Water is fine,” Cass said while eyeing Steph up and down, making her have to check to see if she was still tucked properly (she was). Her mind then flitted to anything that could be wrong with her appearance. Her legs were clean shaven (even if they were mostly covered by her jeans, it was still important to her), her jewelry all matched, her makeup was still flawless, her ponytail was a bit frizzy but still presentable. It took so much work to get it all smooth, and she still couldn't fully shake the images of her father that flashed in her mind when she saw her blonde ponytail, but she knew how much Cass liked it and decided she could be strong for her friend.
Her nervousness must’ve been more apparent than she thought as Cass’ expression went from scanning to concerned, and she quickly corrected saying, “You look…” Steph waited with anticipation for Cass to find the right word, “appealing,” Cass finished.
“Appealing? Maybe I should grab us a few bananas so we can be ‘appealing’ together,” Steph quipped to try and break the tension, awkwardly making eye contact. As they just stared in silence, Steph blurted out “I’m sorry, that was awful. I just hate silence but I know you’re probably tired of hearing me talk…” after remembering Cass’ conciseness she corrected again saying “...Not that I hate YOUR silence, I could sit with you for hours. Your eyes are so pretty.” “And…” Steph started to continue before realizing she was being too forward, after all this was just a hangout between friends, and “just friends” don't start gushing about each others’ eyes, and faces, and arms, and… no. She couldn’t continue this line of thought. Not about her friend.
When she heard Cass quietly say “No, please keep going. Your voice is my favorite song,” she did a double take. Did Cass think of her in the same way? Should she try to be a bit more clear in her intent? As these questions continued to pulse through her mind, Steph saw that there was trouble outside with a few kids getting harassed by a gang, but luckily Red Robin and Signal were just behind. However, she knew that as soon as Cass saw the goons (who seemed to be part of Riddler’s crew, Steph noticed), she would jump into action. It was one of her favorite things about Cass; however, unfortunately it would ruin this date trip and so she had to keep Cass from noticing.
“What do you think of my hair?” she asked, flipping her ponytail away from the window, grabbing Cass’ attention and cocking a half smile.
As Cass started looking intently, analyzing every detail, Steph saw out of the corner of her eye as Duke and Tim got the two kids out of harm's way. Duke pushed the larger, blond boy out of danger while Tim saved the blond’s boyfriend (who looked like he could be Tim’s twin). Knowing that the hired help would pose no issue for the boys, Steph was able to turn her full attention to Cass just as she answered, “It looks practical…” Steph’s heart fell as she waited for Cass to continue, with her slow and thoughtful speech pattern feeling less endearing and more infuriating. “...but also very pretty. It is out of your eyes, but makes them stand out. It keeps your face clear, but every detail is obvious.”
Upon hearing these words, Steph’s mind went into overdrive. Surely this means that Cass thought of her like that, and that she could be more upfront with what she wanted. But what if Cass was just being nice and making conversation. Sidestepping that debate, Steph replied and decided to open up a bit more, “Thank you, it was hard but I knew you would like it. Back before… before. My dad was so happy to see me growing my hair out and wearing it the same way as him. He said that he was proud to see himself in me and… I was just a kid. I didn’t like who I was, but my dad was proud of me and saw himself in me and I loved it.” Cass’ eyes reflected the dying lights of the café, causing the beautiful hazel color that Steph already loved to shimmer as they met hers, causing her to drop her gaze down to the table. “But then, I saw my father for who he really was. And I needed to get away from that, so I cut off my hair. As soon as I did it, I regretted it. But then something strange happened, as my hair grew back I started seeing my mom in the mirror too. And it all felt right. Obviously I’ve changed and grown since then, but when I tie my hair back like that, I still have to fight my father’s reflection in the mirror. And it never gets easier.” As Steph raised her gaze again, she saw Cass’ eyes unchanged from her last glimpse. Still staring with that power and quiet empathy Steph had grown to love.
After a beat, Cass responded, “When I was little, I killed a man…” as Cass paused, Steph realized her face must be less stoic than she thought. After Steph gave a subtle gesture to keep going, Cass continued, “…I never forget that day. The shame I felt, it is still with me. No matter what I do, or where I go, I still see his face.”
“Oh Cass, I didn’t mean… I mean, you didn’t have to,” Steph nervously spat out while trying her best to be comforting.
“No, do not apologize,” Cass interrupted her, “There is one way for me to avoid thinking of him. When I am with you, I feel more at peace than I ever have. There is something about you that makes me feel… warm? Light? I am unsure of what word to use, but feel that you know.”
Steph’s heart raced as she responded quickly (but not too quickly, she still had to play this cool), “I do know. Cass, you’re the most incredible person I know, and if you’re saying what I think that you are, I feel the same way about you,” seeing Cass tilt her head like a confused puppy, Steph continued, “I love you Cass. I think I always have, ever since that night when you broke in and woke me up. I’ve loved Cassandra Cain, I’ve loved Batgirl, I’ve loved Orphan and Black Bat. I love you,”
Clearly struggling with the feelings, Cass repeated, “I love you Stephanie. You are prettier than I can say, and being with you, I feel at home in myself,” and despite her shorter message, Steph knew that it contained just as much, if not more, emotion as hers. She didn’t have the same ability to read body language as Cass, but when it came to reading her best friend, she was close.
Steph started to lean towards Cass, who approached her in turn, when their comms suddenly screeched to life. The two girls pulled away from each other to listen in; however, as a familiar growl came across, they looked at each other with the same idea forming alongside a sly smirk. They ignored the buzzing orders in their ears and continued to lean in, and as their faces approached each other, their mouths began to open as the two embraced, and shared a kiss that would have lasted for hours if it weren’t for a different voice coming across the comms. They reluctantly separated before listening in.
“While I’ve been waiting for years for you two to figure this out, B needs you both to get to Park Row ASAP,” Oracle dryly relayed. “I can give you two another minute, but you do need to get suited up and moving.”
“Well, you heard the boss,” Steph said, doing her best to not sound too dejected, “This was incredible, and we need to do it more often.” As the two strutted out of the shop hand in hand to rendezvous where ordered, Steph looked over and asked, “If we were just the Batgirls before, are we now Batgirlfriends? Or just Batgirl girlfriends?”
In lieu of an answer, Cass just gave Steph a peck on the cheek, a wry smile, and a shake of her head before muttering, “I do not care which one, as long as I am with you”