Steph entered Batgirl's cave, grinning widely, hands behind her back. "Cass!" she called out to the girl in black who was currently destroying a few pieces of training equipment. Cassandra stopped and turned to face her, a slightly confused look on her face.
"Spoiler? We're not.. training today."
"I know. I had something I wanted to show you." She walked up to Cass, hesitated a moment, then moved her hands into sight. In her right hand she held out an envelope to Cassandra. "It's, um. Open it."
Cass took it and Steph shifted her weight, her now empty hands awkwardly fiddling with her sleeves for a moment before she shoved them into her pockets, trying to restrain her nervous energy.
Cassandra gave her an odd look, reading the fear and excitement on Steph all too clearly. She carefully opened the envelope and removed the card inside. She blinked.
It was very simple; red and sparkly with hearts decorating it. She opened the card and furrowed her brow at the writing within. She recognised her name, "Cassandra", written in clear block letters that seemed so out of place below the flowing italics of the printed message above. She felt vaguely patronized.
"It's, um... You know, a Valentine's Day card," Steph tried to explain. "To, um... Well, it means..."
"I know." Cass gave her a look that clearly said, 'I'm not stupid.'
"Oh." Steph blinked. "So..."
Cassandra carefully slipped the card back into its envelope, put it in Steph's hand, and started walking away.
"I... You're not going to say anything?"
"No."
"But... But this is..." she struggled for words. 'Important,' her brain screamed, finishing her sentence.
"I know."
"So?"
Cassandra stopped but didn't turn to face Steph as she answered. "I can't.. read it."
Steph winced. She covered her face with her free hand. "Oh, crap. I'm sorry."
Cassandra didn't respond.
"I'm sorry!" Steph repeated.
Cassandra resumed walking.
"I just- I didn't think that.. that would be a big deal, you know? These cards are always the same anyway... I mean, isn't it the thought that counts?"
"Maybe you should have.. thought of something better." Cassandra picked up her mask off of a bench and headed for the exit.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Patrol."
"Aw, Cass, come on..."
But she was already gone.
The next day...
Steph entered the cave, smiling, hands behind her back. "Cass?" she called out. There was no answer.
"Cassandra?" She walked further in, coming around the corner into what passed for a kitchen, and stopped dead. There on the table was a large, open, red and blue, triangular-shaped box, filled with little chocolates. Little super-shield shaped chocolates. Steph sighed heavily.
She approached the table, putting her own, much smaller, heart-shaped box down next to the shield-box, staring down at them for a moment. Then she took a super-chocolate, popped it in her mouth, sighed again, and made her way out of the cave, chewing distractedly.
The next day...
Steph entered the cave, a slightly apprehensive look on her face, hands behind her back. "Cass," she called out.
A loud crash answered her. Cassandra appeared on the level above, not looking too happy. Her face softened as she saw who had called. "Stephanie."
"Um. Hi. Are you okay?"
"Yes. It's just..." She gestured vaguely. "Superboy is being..."
"A jerk? Annoying? A-"
"Yes," Cass interrupted. Then narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "Why are you here?"
Steph felt her courage wash away, both from the intense stare and the fact that Cassandra seemed less than receptive to people at the moment. "I... wanted to show.. uh, give you... uh..."
Relaxing somewhat, Cassandra leaned on the railing, her mouth quirking in an almost-smirk and asked, "Not another card, is it?"
"No." Steph's voice squeaked slightly.
Cassandra's eyes narrowed again. "Okay," she said slowly. She headed down to the ground level, eyes cautiously trained on Steph, who was currently staring down at her own shifting feet. Cass stopped in front of her and waited.
Steph looked up, glanced to the side, glanced back at Cassandra, then pulled her hand from behind her back. In it, she held out a single red rose to Cassandra. "Here."
Cassandra tilted her head, still looking mildly confused, but took the rose. She gently ran her fingertips over the blooming petals on top. "It's... pretty."
Steph breathed a sigh of relief.
"But it needs light. It would.. die here." She handed it back to Steph and turned away before seeing the hurt and rejected expression on Steph's face.
Steph looked down at the flower in her hand helplessly. "Oh... Um, okay." She sniffed once, rubbed at her eyes distractedly, and turned to the exit. Shoulders slumped and nearly dragging her feet, she left the cave again.
The next day...
Steph entered the cave, nervously biting her lip, hands behind her back. "Cass?" she called out.
Cassandra walked out into the main area, stopping in front of Steph. She tilted her head and waited, as patiently as ever.
Taking a deep breath, Stephanie met Cassandra's eyes. "You know, I'm really trying hard here. But you're... I mean, I wanted... It's just..." She shut her mouth. Bit her lip again, and pulled her arm out from behind her back.
In her hand, clutched tightly, was a pink stuffed bunny. Cassandra looked at it for a moment, not moving to take it. "What do I.. do with it?"
"Well, you... It's just..." Steph floundered for words. "Ah, nevermind. It was a stupid idea." She lowered her outstretched arm and turned to leave.
"No, wait." Cass grabbed her wrist, stopping her. She looked down again at the animal in Steph's hand. "It's... cute."
Steph stopped dead still, her breath caught, and resisted the urge to hold Cass's hand in place. "What?"
"I like it." Cassandra smiled openly. "Thank you." She took a step closer into Steph's personal space, leaned forward, and placed a soft kiss on the other girl's lips. Her hand slid down from Steph's wrist to hold her hand.
Steph blinked, trying to think around the rush of warmth in her head. "Huh." She blinked a few more times. "Hey. You didn't keep ignoring me just to get more stuff, did you?"
Cassandra smiled. "No. You just... caught me on a bad day. A few bad days."
Returning her smile, Steph gave Cass's hand a light squeeze and glanced down at the stuffed animal in her other hand. "Happy Valentine's Day, I guess," she said.
Cass's smile turned into a grin as she took the bunny from Steph and held it close to her chest. "Definitely."