Work Text:
The bass from the loud music blaring through the club speakers had sunk into Cassie’s bones by now. They creaked and rattled from the loud music in time with the floorboards, but Cassie only had eyes for the beautiful being that was Cissie King-Jones on a dance floor. A blessing she didn’t deserve, but was mesmerized by anyway.
Cassie looked at her…her friend. Cissie. God, Cassie could stare at her for hours. Her short blonde hair bounced from the force of her graceful movements. It was so unlike her, yet exactly how Cassie imagined the sight of Cissie dancing would be. Confident, sharp movements, so unlike her normal mission self, but lethal all the same.
It wasn’t often that she got to see Cissie truly let herself have fun, so that made this glimpse of her euphoria so much more special. She was glowing, from both the sheer force of the joy she was radiating and the subtle glitter on her cheeks.
Every now and then, she would glance back to the booth Cassie was reserving for them, and their eyes would meet, causing a heady, electric feeling to course through her body.
Cassie knew there was no way she could get drunk tonight, not without some Kryptonian strength liquor on hand, but the sight of Cissie dancing her heart out, moving with so much passion, made her feel downright giddy.
Seeing Tim squeeze through the crowd with a few drinks in hand and a loose smile, Cassie pointed to the booth as she hoped their leader got the message. Judging by the nod, he probably got the gist. Eh. She couldn’t hear a thing over the loud music pulsing in her ears, cursing out her super-hearing and wondering if Kon was okay. His hearing had always been more sensitive than hers, this must feel like hell to him.
He’ll have to deal with it. It was his idea to go clubbing as a ‘team outing’ anyways.
Running a hand through her hair, Cassie marched through the crowd like she was a woman on a mission. Stopping right in front of Cissie, she did something she would probably never do to her crushfriend if she weren’t so affected by the general vibe of the place. Putting a hand out, she waited until Cissie, confused but with an intriguing glint in her eye, took it. Pulling her close and resting the other hand on her waist, Cassie couldn't help but whisper in Cissie's ear.
“Do you know how good you look right now? How goddamn alive you make me feel?”
Cissie shivered lightly, and Cassie went back to dancing wildly to the beat. That little whisper was probably the closest she’d ever get to admitting her long-time crush on her best friend.
She was pretty sure Tim suspected and Conner knew, and it was always a fifty-fifty chance with Bart on whether he picked up a social cue or not. Regardless, she’d catch them giving her pitying looks whenever she stared a little too obviously after intense training sessions or when Cissie returned after a long absence, but she still turned down all efforts to talk about it.
Cissie tugged her close, and Cassie hoped she didn’t see how her breath hitched. “Wanna get really drunk, Cassie? I’m sure Conner will fly over some Krytonian booze for you, he volunteered to be the sober one tonight.” Cassie didn’t say i don’t need alcohol to feel drunk when i’m around you or you make me feel alive in a way liquor never could and instead just nodded.
Making their way toward the booth they all had occupied at the start of the evening, they were greeted by the sight of their absolutely plastered leader draped all over Conner as he whispered something that made Conner go redder and redder. Tim’s usually immaculate posture was gone as he slumped against Conner, and a manic grin accentuated his own uncharacteristic lack of composure. Bart was right next to them both, as usual, downing some brightly coloured cocktail. Cassie shared a look with Cissie, and they grinned. Those three really needed to get their shit together and date each other already.
Cassie slid into the booth, and Cissie, angelic being that she was with her soft-yet-somehow-spiky pixie-cut hair and flowy white dress, sat down in the tiny space next to her. Her outer thigh pressed flush against Cassie’s jeans, and their bodies were completely pressed together at the sides. The heat of her skin radiated through Cassie’s clothes, both still warm from the dancing. She pushed closer to Cassie, her head resting on her shoulder.
Cassie chased the touch, and wished she could just… climb inside her best friend’s ribcage and live there forever. The scent of cheap detergent and cheaper beer mixed with something that was so undeniably Cissie that Cassie had to fight not to nuzzle her face into Cissie’s neck. That urge was something she felt at inopportune moments all too often, and so was able to push aside easily to focus on what the boys were doing.
Tim was slumped against Kon, his face in his neck, mumbling something about logistics and sewer systems. She envied the easy touches they shared, and how Tim and Bart had an unspoken agreement to fluster Conner, even when drunk out of their minds. Cassie buried the pang of jealousy at seeing Conner flush hot and bright, his arm tightening on Tim’s waist to keep him from falling off his seat. Bart was also keeping a steady stream of commentary on his soda and cocktail preferences as he downed a glass of bright neon pink liquid and giggled, passing a glass of something orange to Conner, who sighed and drank, face still red.
Cassie had to stifle a laugh at the boys’ shenanigans, and Cissie snatched another glass of bright neon pink liquid. Seriously, how many colourful drinks had Bart bought?
Pausing mid-reply to Tim’s ramblings, Conner’s eyes darted between Cassie’s undoubtedly blushing face and the absolute lack of distance between her and Cissie. Smirking, he nudged Bart and pulled at his hoodie, and said something indistinguishable to Tim. Cassie didn’t bother to focus on what they were saying, the blare of the music already rattling in her teeth and bringing her to the verge of a mild headache which she was quite happy to ignore.
“Right,” Conner said, sounding like a man on a mission. He shifted Tim’s weight suddenly so they could move out, and grabbed Bart’s collar to gently drag him out of the booth. “We’re going out for some air. Bart, come on.”
“But my drink-”, Bart started to protest.
Conner just shook his head. “Even if the alcohol won’t get to you, the sugar will soon.” Giving Cassie a blatant, goofily obvious wink, he said, “You two stay here. Guard the booth. Don’t wait up for us.”
In a blur of talking over each other and uncoordinated chaos, the three left through the back door. The table suddenly felt too quiet. The music felt faint and distant, the sudden silence awkward as hell.
Cissie shifted, getting comfortable in the now-freed-up space. Under the dim, flashing lights, her face glowed and Cassie’s throat felt suddenly too dry as she leaned close.
“Well,” the archer murmured, her voice lower and the chaos of the bar feeling far-away, “They certainly aren’t subtle.”
Cassie’s heartbeat picked up in panic, but then she realised Cissie probably thought the boys wanted to be alone for a bit, hence the wink. Duh.
Snorting, she shook her head even as she internally cursed at Conner’s attempts to play wingman. “Please. Those three wouldn’t know subtlety if it smacked them in the face, especially with a drunk Tim with them.”
Cissie scoffed playfully, but then her expression turned serious again. “Now that they’re gone… What were you saying on the dance floor? I couldn’t hear you over the music.” Her eyes were strangely bright and manic.
Cassie brushed it off as a figment of her imagination. Serious Cissie, teasing Cissie, acting manic? Couldn’t be.
Cassie swallowed, anxiously thinking of what to say. There was no way she could make up a convincing excuse on the spot, even if the music wasn’t vibrating in her stomach.
Her mind raced faster than Bart on an espresso shot. Think, you idiot, think.
“Oh, just you know, “ she stammered out nervously, heart pounding. Her laugh sounded entirely wrong and way higher than it should be, both due to the hasty lie and how close Cissie was leaning. She hoped the archer didn’t notice. “Just saying that the music was very loud. And that you’re better at dancing than I thought.”
It was a terrible lie. Cissie squinted at her, eyes narrowed.
She didn’t blink at the blatant lie, only tilted her head slightly, spiky bangs falling on her face. Instead of the signature scoff Cassie expected, she shifted closer, her legs brushing Cassie’s ankle. Her throat went dry. Too close. Cissie was too close.
“Cassie,” she said, voice soft and strangely vulnerable. “I may not have super-hearing like you or Conner, but my hearing is still pretty good. I heard the word alive.”
Cassie gulped. She wanted so bad to deny it, play it off as a joke. But something about Cissie’s eyes froze her in place. Super-strength or not, Cassie knew she couldn’t escape the weight of Cissie’s gaze.
“I just want to hear you say it again.” Cissie whispered, her soft voice somehow cutting through the loud club. She reached for Cassie’s hand, thin and wiry fingers gently wrapping around Cassie’s wrist. Soft, despite the callouses. It was as if they were the only ones left and the world narrowed down to the two of them, pressed side by side. Cissie’s thumb rubbed tiny, soothing circles on Cassie’s wrist, sending jolts of electricity up her arm. “Without the music confusing me. You don't have to tell me, but I want to know.”
The air left Cassie’s lungs in a rush. She could physically feel her face getting redder and hotter as she grew flustered. Across the table, the boys’ forgotten glasses sat in a puddle of condensation. Emboldened by the soft brushing of Cissie’s fingers on her wrist and the addictive tingle of her closeness, Cassie looked at the soft look on her best friend’s face, and realized she didn’t want to hide anymore.
She took a breath, shifting to allow Cissie to rest more comfortably against her side.
Looking at the glitter shining on Cissie’s face, Cassie let the ethereal glow of her beauty wash over her and give her courage.
“I said, ” Cassie began, her voice trembling just enough for Cissie to notice it. “You make me feel alive. You are a goddess, Cissie King-Jones, and I want to make you feel alive too.”
Cissie smiled, hopeful and sweet, and Cassie knew that this moment, right now, was something she would cherish for a long, long time.
The silence stretched between them, sweet and heavy. They didn’t need words to fill the gap, the knowledge that this could be something more was enough. Cassie doesn’t know how long they stared at each other, gazes heavy and wondrous, but the spell shattered gently when the back door burst open and the boys came over in a burst of loud laughter and simultaneous conversation.
Bart was rolling on the balls of his feet, practically vibrating through the hallway. He clutched an open, shiny metallic flask with a triumphant grin.
“I got it! I got the space juice!” Bart cheered loud and happy, aggressively sliding into the booth. “Kon tried to hide it, but I’m fast, Cassie. Did you know I’m so fast, Cissie?”
Conner, meanwhile, was practically carrying Tim in his arms and clutching the back of his shirt. Tim looked completely done for, and was muttering fiercely about “the disadvantages of neon pink food colouring, Kon, they don’t even have red!” into Conner’s shoulder.
Conner sighed, and slid into the booth beside Bart, Tim’s head practically in his lap when they sat. “Bart stole my Kryptonian strength booze, and Tim tried to fight a bouncer,” he grumbled. “Or, well, tried to audit his taxes, but same difference. Bart, give me that flask right now before you vibrate into the next dimension.”
Looking up, exasperated, but definitely fond, he complained, “Say something to him, you two, do you know how hard it is to get this stuff from Clark? Not to mention the awkward-ness. Ugh.”
Cassie and Cissie shared a warm look, and Cissie huffed fondly. Their fingers remained firmly entangled, a secret anchor that Cassie wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to let go of.
Conner didn’t say a word, but he looked at their flushed cheeks and intertwined hands, and a genuinely happy smile broke through his exhaustion. He gave Cassie a tiny, approving nod.
As the music winded down, and the lights shifted, Bart swapped places with Kon to put an arm around Tim and chatter in his ear. Tim nodded solemnly. The other three chatted inconsequentially, and the team eventually gathered their things to get going.
As Conner bent down to pick Tim’s dropped phone up, he muttered just loud enough for only Cassie to hear, “I knew I’d make a great wingman.”
Cassie’s jaw dropped, and she let out a barking, surprised laugh. She nudged his shoulder playfully, and said, “Well then, Mr. Wingman, I think you’d better go handle your own boys now. I think they’re breaking.” Cissie, having seen and accurately guessed the subject of conversation, smirked and blew a kiss to Conner, “Thank you, match-maker, but your boytoys are running away now.”
Conner snorted, and put an arm around Tim and Bart, hoisting them up.
As they stepped out into the cool nighttime air and Cissie tightened her fingers and leaned closer than she would have normally, Cassie smiled contentedly.
She had grown up hearing stories of gods and immortal legends, but looking down at their laced fingers, she knew she’d gladly worship this gorgeously mortal goddess for the rest of her life.
-fin-