Prompt from goodluckdetective: I'm Dying: the gotham girl gang
Batman and related properties © DC Comics
story © RenaRoo
Exaggerations
Cassandra slipped into Stephanie's apartment with practiced ease. The bag of food from the Spoiler's favorite diner was still warm, and she was certain that breaking and entering would be trumped by the elation her friend would have at seeing a steaming cup of mashed potatoes.
But even in the comfort of Stephanie's home, Cass was alert. And her simple smile was traded in for an apprehensive silence as she heard groaning from the bedroom.
Moving forward on the balls of her feet, Cass was utterly silent. But her speed and concern didn't allow for enough time to put aside the bag of food.
She needed to find out who was in pain and she needed to know right then.
Which made it both relieving and horrifying that as she opened the bedroom door, she recognized the voice as Harper's.
"I'm leaving anything that doesn't go to Cullen to you and Cass," Harper groaned. "I mean it, Steph. Don't let Tim touch anything. He'll just mess it up."
"Uh huh," Steph's voice said in a dry, flat tone.
Confused, Cass eased the tension of her shoulders and made an effort to open the door in a way that made noise.
She had been told by Tim that it was a Batfamily way of being polite. Letting others hear you coming.
It was worth trying out given the circumstances.
Stephanie was standing beside her bed in a baggy shirt, hair a mess and eyes calm and dull. While she kept her arms crossed, she did glance to the door and looked pleasantly surprised to see Cassandra there.
Which was more than what could have been said for the expression she had been giving Harper just moments before.
Harper, for her part, didn't even react to Cass coming in. She was laying tangled in Stephane's comforter and sheets with her back arched in the air and head dug beneath a pillow. There was another groan.
Cass waited a moment, taking the sight in, before pushing her way more through the door.
"Everything… okay?" she asked lowly.
"No," Harper said at the same time that Stephanie replied with "Yes."
Letting out an annoyed, strangled noise from her throat, Steph passed Harper and swatted at the butt in the air, earning a grunt from the other girl, and went to Cass' side.
"Everything's fine, Cass. Sorry if we worried you," Steph promised, grabbing at the bag, knowing Cass' habits all too well.
"Everything's terrible. I'm actually dying," Harper whined.
Alarmed, Cass' eyebrows raced for her hairline and she gave Stephanie a worried look. Dying and fine were quite conflicting, even to Cass' sensibilities.
The purple clad teen opened the cup of mashed potatoes, eyes lighting up in delight at the sight. "Oh, Cass! My favorite, thanks!"
Since that didn't address her concerns whatsoever, Cass tugged the bag back lightly and drew a questioning look at her friend. She trusted Stephanie at that point to know well enough what her expressions meant.
Stephanie groaned and rolled her eyes as Harper continued to let out very frightening noises.
"She's not dying, she's speaking in hyperbole," Steph assured Cass. "And she's doing it like she's the only woman ever to get headaches and cramps. And I'm debating on throwing her out the window for that offense alone."
"Feels bad," Cass clarified, looking sympathetically toward Harper.
"No, no. Not that bad, don't let her drag you into being nursemaid, too," Steph warned, trying and failing to push Cass toward the door. "Come on, let's just leave her to it. We can eat this delicious food and watch late night infomercials. I love when you pick up new catchphrases from them."
While Stephanie attempted to pull Cass away, the tiny vigilante stood firm and shook her head.
"We're… friends," Cass reminded Steph and walked them both back toward the bed despite Stephanie's protests. "She needs us."
"Oh, please, she needs a midol and a butt kicking," Steph said before letting out a yip as Cass dove both of them into the bed beside Harper.
It was entirely too cramped with all three of them on the bed, but Cass loved it, arms wrapped around Stephanie's shoulders and Harper's waist as she pulled them close.
"We're here," she told Harper, muffled by the mattress she had her face smushed into. "Here for you."
"You're a true friend, Cass," Harper wheezed. "I can feel that hug in my internal organs, though. And it's only making me die faster."
"I'm going to kill both of you," Steph huffed. "My apartment no longer has an open door policy. I'll put in security and dogs and a big poster of your archenemies on the doors. Who's everyone's archenemy by the way? Also my potatoes are going to get cold. Cass, leggo already!"
Cass just smiled into the mattress. Both of her friends complained too much, but they were still her friends.