Second Chances
Steph shifts on the ledge to ease a cramp in her calf. She looks through the binoculars again and sighs when the building across the street stays dark and empty. She knows that sometimes the superhero business can be dead boring, and god, she'd been assigned to surveillance so many times as Spoiler because Batman and Oracle wanted her safely out of their way. But she's Robin now, and she's on an actual assignment for the first time in forever. This is deeply cool, even if it turns out like that time with the icky cockroach guy.
Steph knows how to be patient. She's actually pretty good at it. Sometimes too good.
Anger twists around in her stomach and her face goes hot. Steph tries to laugh it off in her own head by calling it 'residual Tim issues', but as usual, it doesn't work. Because of course she's going to have issues about this -- the relationship and the Robin thing both -- and there's, like, a million completely valid reasons why.
Steph sinks her teeth into her bottom lip and stuffs the anger back down. Anger makes her sloppy, and she doesn't need Batman to tell her that. And if there's one thing she really doesn't want to do, it's to screw this up. The bat crowd just doesn't do second chances, but somehow she got one. She's in, and that's exactly where Steph wants to be.
It's snowing again. Big, fat flakes of white. Tires hiss as cars drive through slush on a busier street a block north. Gotham's quiet tonight and the silence prickles in her ears. Steph shivers and huddles under her cape, and hopes she remembered to put Kleenex or something in her utility belt.
It's kind of peaceful out here, actually. At least, it is until someone grabs her arm.
"Gyah!" Steph yelps. Her heart does a spastic little dance even while she realizes that it's just Batgirl crouching on the ledge next to her, and god, it's not fair that the batpeople don't make any sound at all when they move.
All right. It's not unfair; Steph is just wildly jealous.
Batgirl tilts her head. Steph shrugs, and says, "I've been here for an hour, and swear to god, I don't even think there are rats moving in there."
Batgirl nods, looks across the street at the building they're watching, and then doesn't move for a really long time, so Steph guesses that she's settling in for the duration. And that's okay, because Batgirl's cool. Weird, but cool, and she never makes Steph feel like she's checking up on her, which is something Tim never managed to do, even though he tried. Not to mention that Batgirl's kind of Steph's idol now, at least in terms of butt-kicking.
Besides, Steph isn't stupid enough to worry about her pride. Last time she did that, it got her a broken leg. Which royally sucked. Crutches are definitely not a girl's best friend.
The wind picks up, swirling flakes of snow into curlicues. Steph shivers again and wonders what Batman will say if she asks for a thermal undies upgrade to her costume. It's freezing out here -- below freezing -- and she's clenching her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering when there's a swishing sound, and then Batgirl's cape settles around her shoulders.
"Thanks," Steph says gratefully, and moves a little closer to Batgirl to keep the cape from gapping too much. Tim would never cuddle while on official business. In fact, Tim just isn't a very touchy-feely guy in general, but Steph most definitely is. And she's been missing this kind of thing.
Batgirl slides her arm around Steph's waist and tugs her closer until they're pressed together like jigsaw pieces at thigh, hip, and shoulder. And, wow, this is much better. Steph might even get the feeling back in her fingers now.
And then Batgirl presses her hand flat on Steph's belly, and she shivers for an entirely different reason than the weather.
Steph remembers thinking something stupid like, "Who, nelly!" the first time she saw Cass's face. Because she's just so pretty. Gorgeous, even. And she just doesn't seem to know that.
Pretty. Dangerous. Oblivious. Steph really knows how to pick 'em.
Batgirl's fingers flex on her stomach, and Steph realizes that she really, really wants to kiss her. And maybe she should, because if Tim Drake gets to run around kissing strange girls without telling her, then so does she, right?
Steph turns, her breath clouding in front of her mouth, and finds Batgirl watching her. And, okay, full face mask kind of makes her favorite kind of kissing difficult, so Steph leans forward a little more and says, "Can I --"
Batgirl holds up her hand and tilts her head like she's listening, and then her attention seems to snap back onto Steph. It makes her body prickle with awareness, in the good way and not the 'danger! you're about to be squished!' way. Batgirl reaches out and rubs her thumb over Steph's bottom lip. The fabric of her gloves is smooth and slick. Her touch tickles and makes Steph's lips tingle, and her body goes all heavy and warm between her legs. And she's definitely missed somebody making her feel like that.
Batgirl nods across the way, and now Steph can see that there are bobbing lights in the lower windows -- flashlights. People. Criminal type people. Crap. Talk about lousy timing.
"Later," Batgirl says, or maybe it's a promise. She takes her hand away and fires her grapple with a *chuff*, and then she's flying through the snow toward the ground.
Steph spares a second to grin like an idiot, and then follows her over the ledge.