Every inch of her body was absolutely and utterly wrecked.
Stephanie was reaffirmed of this fact the second she rolled over in bed to answer her ringing phone and felt like she had been hit by a train.
Not just the engine part, the whole damn miles long string of cars too.
"Brown." She grumbled as she finally managed to slide the call button. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flesh on her wrist, eggplant purple.
How fitting.
"Stephanie Brown," the voice of her boss began, "You have exactly five seconds to explain to me how Carrie Kelley is at Gotham airport, but your big blonde ass is nowhere near it."
"Huh?" She managed, bolting up in bed. She eyed the calendar across from her bed.
"Don't act like you don't know." She could practically hear the temple massage the woman was performing, "If anyone should be there at this very second it should be you."
She scrambled to find an excuse. "Well, Carrie works part time with cameras so…" No marks on her calendar. "I'm really sorry but I have no idea what's going on, some sort of attack or?"
"Some sort of attack?" The woman shrieked into the phone. "The only attack going on is a heart attack, which you are giving me!"
"Whoa!" Stephanie scrambled to her feet, finally finding the strength to change out of her 'Doughnut Question Me!' tank and underwear. "Let's slow down!"
"How is it," her furious voice began, "that you are currently interviewing -Wayne… And failed to know when his fiancée comes home?"
What?
"What?" She stated it on an inhale, accidentally sucking in her hair. A choking fit ensued.
"Tamara Fox! That's what! Where are you? She just arrived at Gotham Airport five minutes ago!"
All Stephanie Brown could say at this moment was thank god for her stupid fancy apartment.
Thank god her stupid fancy apartment was located two minutes from Gotham Air.
Thank god she settled into that stupid fancy apartment with makeup coating her face and that it didn't get too screwed up.
Thank god for fully covering long sleeved shirts.
And thank god for yoga pants, the lazy man's black dress pants.
She barely made it in time to see Tam exit the terminal and walk into the common area.
The cloud of bodyguards around Tam blocked the view as the press began to move in. Carrie Kelley and their corporate cameraman Allen Edge bumped into her back.
She cast them a halfhearted smile as they waved to her, Carrie returning with a much fuller smile.
And then the clouds parted.
Tam Fox was a fox.
Not a red furry fox, which would be a much better thing for Stephanie's existence.
An absolute babe.
Her hair was pulled up in a headscarf, which would make Stephanie look a deformed lamp, but only served to expose more of Tam's beautiful face. Her high cheekbones, her decently proportioned forehead, her pleasant nose, her full lips, the unfair dotting of freckles upon her cheeks and nose.
How the hell did Tim Drake end up with a goddess?
Her smile was gentle yet commanding, seas of reporters parted for her.
Stephanie found herself the most self-conscious she had been in her life.
When Tim showed up at the entrance of the airport the press exploded with cheerful noise.
Of course, boy wonder knew, he knew everything. He'd probably been expecting her back for a while now, likely since he was injured.
His smiling face now held no signs of peeling or burns. He was completely healed, evidently not only in body but also in spirit.
It was like that scene in the Prince of Egypt movie that she had watched all too often as a child, an over dramatic parting of seas. Only this time it was not the unmalleable water of the Nile, but rather the typically unwavering crowds of the press.
If it was possible, his smile grew wider. He looked like the Tim of her childhood.
Suddenly she did not feel well.
Tam left her bags with her bodyguards, of course, she did. She broke into a small run towards Tim. Tim held his arms out for her.
Stephanie Brown suddenly felt sick, the sickest she had felt in her life.
She turned to leave but instead caught the bright head of Carrie Kelley out of the corner of her eye.
Maybe she could distract herself.
She began to pull through the crowd, feeling gravely ill more and more as she pushed back.
The press erupted once more, she could only guess what had happened.
She collided with a reporter, his nametag read Nath Evergreen.
"Are you okay?" His voice was earnest, his eyes were blue.
His hair was black, his ears were too big.
He smiled, she shoved him away.
Storming she made her way through the crowd.
Cameraman after cameraman caught her upset face.
She groaned in anger as a hand clasped her wrist.
Fucking Nathan Evergreen.
"Miss, do you need help, I can-"
She snapped, "I don't need help from anymore blue eyed wonderboys, thank you, sir!"
All she needed was to get this job done before it messed with her head. Before sanity began to fly away from her.
She stomped out of the airport, leaving the confused and undeserving Nathan Evergreen in the doorway.
The ill-advised shoes she didn't remember putting on crunched against the pavement.
A cracking noise ensued as a heel flew off and she gave up.
"Nice to meet you at Nice to Meat You, my name is Charlie Hanson, how can I help you?" The waiter practically sang to the blonde. He ignored her messed up hair, smudged makeup, and the fact that she had slid into the booth holding a heel broken off of her shoe.
Because the world hated Stephanie Brown, this man also had black hair and blue eyes.
"Dumpster Burger, extra mayo." She grumbled.
"Miss, I don' think you read the menu, that's five poun-" He interjected.
"My face is on the wall, I think I know."
The waiter cast a look over to the wall to confirm this, the smiling face of Stephanie Brown hidden amongst others beside a rather young Tim Drake.
"Oh… You are."
"Fold the photo over when you get the chance, that guy died." She lied easily.
As the waiter grimaced and went back to the kitchen the bell rang once more for a customer. Stephanie buried her face in her arms as a weight fell on the cushion beside her.
"So…" Began the female voice.
"Why does everyone always know where I am?" Stephanie groaned.
"Why did cameras show you having some sort of breakdown?" Cass Cain replied easily.
"Seriously."
"It's not that hard to trace a cell phone." Cass leaned back against the seat. "So at least five cameras caught you today, Barbara's worried. Her face recognition software wasn't supposed to go off for you at that event."
"Yeah well, I shouldn't have been there. Just like how I should be here, in Gotham."
"You storming out of the crowd is going to be a Buzzfeed article tomorrow," Cass predicted.
Stephanie Groaned, shifting away from the smaller woman.
"Tim thinks you had food poisoning from your shitty dates." Cass elaborated.
"Even better."
"What is wrong, though?"
She sunk down the seat in response.
"Great answer, now you should elaborate."
A large groan emitted.
"Yes, I see."
"It just doesn't feel right." Stephanie gave in. "And it's not fair."
"What's not fair?"
Stephanie threw her arms in the air. "This. This whole thing, me being here, all it." She rolled her eyes. "I deserve a normal life as much as anyone, don't I?"
"I suppose."
"So why is it that I can't?"
"Can't what?"
"I can't physically do it!" She hissed. "I can't physically do any of it! Hold a normal job! Have a normal life! Have nice normal relationships!" She began to gain volume. "It should be my god given right to fall in love with any black haired blue eyed man, yet this idiot that I swear—"
"You swear?"
"I swear I am over! He keeps showing up! The things he does keep hurting me! I feel dizzy and crazy and! And!" Her head fell back against the wooden top of the booth. "I just want to hop on rooftops and punch the pain away."
"You're asking the wrong person." Cassandra was evidently amused, reaching for Stephanie's sprite with a smirk. "I can only understand one part of that rant and I'll leave you to guess it."
"But there's gotta be more than this Cass, there's gotta be more."
"More than saving the day?"
"Yes! More than saving the day."
The petite brunette took a sip of Stephanie's drink. "Well, there's not more for you."
"But there is for other people? How is that fair?"
"It's not. Life isn't—"
"No. Don't you tell me that. I deserved a normal life as much as anyone else—"
"Then why aren't you out there getting that normal life? Why are you craving the night? Why are rumors spreading that you went out for a night of crime fighting with Jason Todd?"
"Because Jason makes me feel alive." A sarcastic quip, a la Stephanie Brown.
"So you're in love with Jason?" Cass misunderstood. "I'm not really interested, but what a strange choice."
"God no."
Cass rolled her eyes.
"The man likely has maggots in his dick!" She snarled.
Stephanie's food finally arrived, the waiter cast her a confused look as he delivered it.
"Chicken." Stated Cass. "And water."
He walked away hurriedly.
"It's Tim's fault, I'm telling you, he's a life ruiner," Stephanie stated at full volume before biting into her greasy sandwich.
The Dumpster Burger was five pounds of meat and whatever was to be found in the kitchen.
"How is he ruining your life?" Cass questioned.
"By existing, by taunting me with his existence and his general—"
"Want to be around you?"
"Yes. It's not normal. He's the one who pushed me away."
"I sometimes wish to be around individuals who have pushed me away, such as much of my new family. Does that make me not normal?"
I was an easy reply for Stephanie Brown. "No, you're not normal, you're extraordinary."
Another smile was earned from of the smaller woman. "But Tim is not normal?"
"He's hurting me, he just doesn't get it."
Cassandra nodded for a second before responding, "I think it's normal to wish for people who were once a large portion in your life to come back."
"What?"
"everyone stated the same thing, you two spent every minute together when you were younger. Dick thinks hat Tim was craving that companionship before you left, but you pushed him away and embarked on a journey away from all us."
"Okay but—"
"You left without telling him and it hurt him, he might've seen this an opportunity to regain what he had lost by taking advantage of an unfair situation." Cass finished. "But that's what Dick believes."
"What do you believe?" Stephanie questioned.
"You've given me chances after I've hurt you and left you with a large responsibility. I don't understand relationships very well but I can't understand why Tim was not allowed the same."
"Cass, thing are much different between Tim and I—"
"Chick-chick-chicken! Cluck cluck cluck!" The waiter's voice filled the air as he placed the large plate of tenders in front of Cass. "You two ladies have a good time, okay?"
He offered them a big smile.
Both stared back at him blankly until he retreated to the kitchen.
"Chick-Chick-Chicken…" Stephanie began ominously.
"Cluck cluck cluck!" Cass matched her tone.
The two of them burst out laughing.
She was expecting him the second she got home, almost disappointed to see that he had not yet arrived for his seemingly mandatory visits. She shook her head, locking the door behind her.
Despite herself, she listened for any sign of another living human being as she kicked off her broken heels and finally threw them away.
No sign.
She must be crazy to be waiting for an engaged guy to show up to her house when his fiancée was home, kiss or no kiss.
She shrugged to herself, marching to the bathroom to immediately remove the makeup that was likely invading her pores.
Even straining to hear around the water bursting from the tap there was no noise.
She threw off her top and bra into the hamper, darting across the hall to her bedroom.
Still no person.
She threw on another baggy t-shirt.
Sighing to herself at the silence of her apartment she dove beneath the bed to find the metal music machine of her childhood.
Almost expecting another hand grasping hers, her hand instead wrapped around her radio as expected.
Another shrug, she walked into the kitchen, still hungry after a long day of eating a lot.
She placed the radio down gently, turning it on and allowing the songs to fill the air.
The smooth voice of Rick James filled the air immediately.
"When I came home last night…"
She began to groove as she went through her fridge to pick out ingredients.
"You wouldn't make love to me!"
Ah yes, cheese stuffed bacon wrapped beef hamburgers.
Good shit.
And, what was that? Spicy chicken nuggets.
Both could not be cooked in a frying pan, but both would be.
"Blah, blah, blah, blah, Mmmmm, give it to me baby!" Stephanie sang horribly, shoving the unholy pairing of food in a frying pan.
"Give it to me, that funk, that sweet, that funky stuff~"
She flipped it over.
"How can I love ya? How can I love you, baby? When your body keeps on moving?" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her hips moving side to side as she cooked.
"I'll make you hot like you've had enough!" She crooned as she executed a perfect turn with the pan and dumped the food on her plate.
She executed this move perfectly until she looked up.
After which she promptly dropped the pan and proceed to scream in her pain as she pulled back her now burnt foot.
"Do you even knock?!" Her yell was a little too aggressive.
There was no telling how long Tim Drake was there, but his cheery face seemed to have taken in far too much for Stephanie's liking. Even behind that stupid black condom mask, it was very evident that he was grinning.
"You were busy." He stated.
"What are you? Some sort of voyeur?" More yelling on Stephanie's part as she pulled up her foot and hopped her way to the sink.
"I can help yo—"
"No. Don't touch me." She grimaced over her shoulder at him. "I would rather you touch no part of me."
"A fair request but—" Tim began.
"No buts." Stephanie deadpanned. "Absolutely not buts from you. You almost got me fired today!" Which was the first in her very long list of issues with him.
"Fired?"
"Yes! Fired! Guess who was apparently supposed to know when Tam Fox was coming back, the girl who has spent a month with her fiancée!" She shot him a glare as the cool water sucked the heat out of her wound. "Who thought, hey let's not even call and mention—"
"I wanted it to be a private affair."
"Private affair my ass, all the media was there, including my outlet!"
"I didn't call, she did—More importantly concerning that, are you sick?"
"Am I sick?" A warning glance.
"You rushed out—"
"I'm sick and tired of you." She deadpanned.
"Okay, that's not very fair—"
"I'm not food poisoned. Because the men who take me out," She lied, "Are very rich."
"Then what—"
Shit, then what?
"Food poisoning."
"You said it wasn't."
"Not from restaurant food—"
"Okay then—"
"My own cooking."
Both of their eyes drifted to her plate. Tim seemed to believe this and nodded.
"I wanted to invite you-"
"I have to decline all invitations, I have dates."
"It's your job."
Stephanie stared into the sink to come up with an excuse.
Tim cleared his throat.
"I won't need that job if these dates pan out." What a lie.
"Who are you dating?"
Fuck.
Who was she dating?
"Jason Todd." She had to stop herself from laughing at how outlandish the lie sounded, even coming from her own mouth.
"Jason?"
"Yeah. Jason. Jason Todd." She nodded.
"That would explain a lot about the rumors of your night activities." It was very evident that Tim Drake did not believe her ruse.
"He has a huge dick." She was rushed, this was it.
The air was nine months pregnant with silence.
"I see." His discomfort was very palatable. "Well, um, if you can take a break from that-"
"My big dick fuckings." Stephanie nodded. She had to stare at the sink to even manage to keep it together. Why was she this bad at lying to Tim?
"Then maybe you could go watch us register for gifts tomorrow." He was very very uncomfortable. "Tam said to invite you."
She was now also very uncomfortable. She pulled her foot out of the sink and plopped the wet appendage against the ground.
He cleared his throat once more.
She limped her way to the calendar and nodded at it, praying he didn't see how empty it was.
"Yeah, that's.." She closed it to protect her dignity. "The only day I'm not getting big dick fuckings."
"So… I'll see you." He nodded to her, not looking at her.
"Yeah, uh, maybe tell me what window you entered through." Another nod, this time to herself. "Gotta make sure it's secure, can't get robbed during my…"
"Big dick fuckings…?"
"Yes, those." She stated.
Author's Note:
Another Chapter update!
I honestly hope that the past few chapters haven't been too weird or felt out of place. Expect a return of Jason in the next chapter.
On a sidenote: I have to ask as it's finally been pointed out to be not very obvious to readers, did you notice that the chapters are all named after oldies songs? These coincide with the general feel of the chapter, at least the feel I had as I was writing it.
