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The fire escape window yielded with a faint click, sliding open just wide enough for Cassandra Cain to slip into Stephanie Brown’s bedroom, landing silently on the carpet of Stephanie’s bedroom.
The front door was perfectly functional. Stephanie had even given Cassandra a key months ago, accompanied by a very serious speech about how friends were supposed to use doors like normal people. Cassandra had listened and understood, but she had simply decided that the window was faster.
The room was quiet. Cassandra scanned the space, instantly noting the absence of her special friend. Instead, her eyes landed on the bed, where a messy mound of Stephanie’s laundry sat unwashed in the centre of the mattress.
Cassandra took a step forward, and the pile of laundry shifted.
She froze, dropping into a low stance, eyes narrowed. A second later, the purple t-shirt bulged, rolled sideways, and collapsed, revealing a tiny, midnight-black face poked out from beneath the collar. It was a kitten, a terribly tiny one. And the cup of Stephanie’s bra sat over the kitten’s head like a little hat.
Cassandra blinked when the creature suddenly sneezed, sending the bra cup tilting sideways over one eye, before letting out a high-pitched, fragile squeak.
Cassandra stared, and the kitten stared back, now acknowleding Cassandra’s presence.
“Steph?”
The kitten made a tiny noise, and Cassandra’s eyes widened in response.
The little animal waddled out of the shirt, trailing the bra behind it like a parachute, and looked up at Cassandra with massive green eyes. Cat-Stephanie was extraordinarily cute. Stephanie was gone. Her clothes were right here. The cat was inside her clothes. Stephanie had turned into a cat.
“Oh.”
It was not impossible. Cassandra had seen plenty of strange things in Gotham especially whenever magic got involved. Bruce had been turned into a literal vampire once, and just last month, Zatanna had to undo a stray hex that turned Tim into a rabbit. Gotham was bizarre like that. Spells happened.
Cassandra dropped to her knees beside the bed, and extended one finger, which the tiny creature immediately rubbed its cheek against while purring like a miniature engine.
Cassandra carefully picked her up. The kitten immediately relaxed in her hands, causing Cassandra's face softened further.
“I will fix this,” Cassandra whispered with deadly seriousness. “I will turn you back. And if I cannot... I will take care of you forever.”
She cradled the cat against her chest and leaned back, letting herself sink onto the floor with a soft sigh, holding the little creature up toward the ceiling to inspect it.
“Cat Steph.”
The kitten gave another tiny meow. And Cassandra nodded solemnly.
“I will feed you. And protect you. And find you toys, Cat Steph.”
The kitten reached up and grabbed one of Cassandra’s fingers. And Cassandra’s heart practically melted.
“I love you too, Cat Steph.”
A muffled snort sounded from the bedroom doorway.
Cassandra snapped her head around. Stephanie was standing in the doorframe, leaning against the jamb with a half-eaten apple in one hand, muffling her laughter behind her arm. Her shoulders trembled as she tried, and failed, to hold back a burst of giggles.
Heat instantly rushed to Cassandra’s face. Her eyes widened, her posture stiffening as she looked from the real, human Stephanie down to the kitten in her hands.
“I tried to stay quiet,” Stephanie gasped out, finally breaking into full laughter. “Cass, did you think I turned into a cat?”
Cassandra pressed her lips together, hugging the kitten closer to hide her burning cheeks.
“She followed me home yesterday. I couldn’t leave her outside, so I brought her in,” Stephanie explained, stepping into the room and dropping down beside Cassandra on the floor. She reached over to gently scratch the kitten under the chin. The kitten immediately began purring.
“I named her Cass.”
Cassandra looked at the kitten. And the kitten looked back.
“ ‘Cass’?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
Stephanie shrugged and stroke the kitten’s fur while keeping her eyes on Cassandra.
“It felt fitting because she’s tiny, stubborn, follows me everywhere, and has a habit of getting under my clothes.”
Cassandra looked down at the purring bundle of black fur, then back up at Stephanie, still feeling a warm blush lingering on her cheeks.
Stephanie grinned, bumping her shoulder against Cassandra’s. “So be careful, Cass. You’ve got a new rival for my bed.”
Cassandra paused, her mind momentarily catching on the double name, unsure whether Stephanie meant her or the tiny purring creature. She looked between the kitten and Stephanie’s smirk, setting her chin with quiet determination.
Cassandra looked at her tiny namesake with playful suspicion. “This is competition. I won’t lose to you, even if you are cuter than I am,” Cassandra said deadpan, before her mouth twitched into a small smile.
The kitten purred loudly, as if accepting the challenge, before curling comfortably against Cassandra’s chest.
Stephanie smiled at the sight of them. “I think you two are going to get along just fine.”
END.