#firstsleepover

Cassandra Cain had never been to a sleepover.

This fact horrified Stephanie Brown.

The revelation happened over pizza.

Steph nearly dropped her slice.

"No."

Cass looked up.

Steph pointed dramatically.

"No. Absolutely not."

Cass raised an eyebrow.

"You've never had a sleepover?"

Cass signed.

No.

"Like a real one?"

Cass nodded.

Steph looked personally betrayed.

"Oh my god."

Cass tilted her head.

Steph pointed at her.

"We are fixing this."

Cass had no idea what fixing this meant.

Three hours later Steph arrived at Wayne Manor carrying enough bags to survive an apocalypse.

Alfred opened the door.

"Miss Brown."

"Emergency."

Alfred looked at the six bags.

"I see."

Cass appeared behind him.

Steph immediately shoved a duffel bag into her arms.

"Supplies."

Cass opened it.

Blankets.

Candy.

Movies.

Face masks.

Stuffed animals.

A pink plastic tiara.

Cass looked at Steph.

Then looked at the tiara.

Then back at Steph.

Steph nodded seriously.

"Essential."

Cass signed.

Why?

"Sleepover law."

There was definitely no such law.

Cass knew this.

Steph knew this.

Neither of them acknowledged it.

By eight o'clock Cass's room barely resembled a room anymore.

Blankets covered every available surface.

Pillows had multiplied.

Steph had somehow built a blanket fort large enough to qualify as real estate.

Cass sat cross-legged inside it.

Watching.

Learning.

The way she always learned.

Steph dropped down beside her with a bowl of popcorn.

"You know, normal people do this all the time."

Cass accepted the bowl.

Signed.

Why?

Steph laughed.

"To spend time together."

Cass frowned.

We spend time together.

"Not like this."

Steph waved a hand around the fort.

"No patrol."

Another gesture.

"No training."

Another.

"No getting stabbed."

Cass considered.

Fair point.

The movie lasted approximately twenty minutes before Steph became distracted.

Which was honestly impressive.

Steph rolled over onto her stomach and stared at Cass.

Cass continued eating popcorn.

Steph continued staring.

Finally Cass signed.

What?

Steph's expression softened.

"You missed a lot, huh?"

Cass froze.

Steph wasn't talking about movies.

Or sleepovers.

Or blanket forts.

Cass knew exactly what she meant.

Birthday parties.

School dances.

Friends.

Secrets shared after midnight.

Growing up.

Being a girl.

Being a child.

Things Cass had never really been allowed to be.

The League had taught her how to fight.

How to survive.

How to kill.

Not how to paint her nails with friends.

Not how to gossip.

Not how to stay awake until three in the morning talking about crushes.

Not how to be fourteen.

Or fifteen.

Or sixteen.

Cass looked down at her hands.

Then signed.

Yes.

The answer was small.

Steph understood anyway.

For a moment her smile disappeared.

Cass recognized the look.

Anger.

Not at her.

At the people who had taken those things away.

Then Steph suddenly grabbed the plastic tiara.

Cass immediately became suspicious.

Steph smiled.

The smile got wider.

Oh no.

Before Cass could escape, Steph carefully placed the tiara on her head.

"There."

Cass blinked.

Steph nodded.

"Perfect."

Cass touched the cheap pink plastic.

Then looked at Steph.

Steph looked completely serious.

Cass signed.

Ridiculous.

Steph gasped.

"You look beautiful."

Cass rolled her eyes.

Steph pointed.

"There!"

Cass frowned.

Steph grinned.

"That."

Cass signed.

What?

"That look."

Steph smiled softly.

"The one where you're trying not to smile."

Cass immediately looked away.

Which only made Steph laugh harder.

The nail polish happened next.

It was a disaster.

An absolute disaster.

Cass could dismantle a rifle in under thirty seconds.

She could identify seventeen different fighting styles.

She could take down opponents twice her size.

Nail polish defeated her immediately.

Steph laughed so hard she nearly fell off the bed.

Cass glared.

Pink polish covered half her fingers.

And part of her palm.

And somehow her wrist.

Steph wiped tears from her eyes.

"You fought Deathstroke."

Cass signed aggressively.

This harder.

Steph collapsed.

Actually collapsed.

The laughter echoed through the room.

Cass secretly liked the sound.

Later they lay beneath a mountain of blankets.

The room dark.

The conversation quiet.

Comfortable.

Steph stared at the ceiling.

"Hey, Cass?"

Cass turned toward her.

Steph smiled softly.

"I'm glad you got out."

The League.

The isolation.

The loneliness.

Everything.

Cass looked at the shadows above them.

Then signed.

Me too.

Steph reached over.

Not grabbing.

Not demanding.

Just offering.

Cass looked at the hand.

Then took it.

Their fingers intertwined.

Easy.

Natural.

Steph smiled.

Good.

Cass stared at their joined hands.

Then signed carefully.

Slowly.

Because some things were harder than others.

Glad got you too.

Steph froze.

Completely froze.

Cass immediately knew she'd made a mistake.

Or maybe not a mistake.

Just—

Something vulnerable.

Steph's eyes widened.

Then she launched herself across the blanket pile.

Cass barely had time to react before Steph wrapped both arms around her.

A hug.

An aggressive hug.

Cass accepted her fate.

Steph buried her face against Cass's shoulder.

"Aww."

Cass closed her eyes.

Steph squeezed tighter.

"Awwww."

Cass contemplated throwing her off the bed.

Steph somehow sensed the thought.

"Don't you dare."

Cass signed behind her back.

Considering.

Steph laughed.

The sound vibrated through both of them.

Warm.

Safe.

Happy.

Cass realized she liked that too.

The next morning Bruce opened Cass's bedroom door.

And immediately stopped.

Cass and Steph were asleep beneath approximately thirty blankets.

Three stuffed animals.

Two empty candy wrappers.

One half-finished bottle of nail polish.

And a pink tiara still resting crookedly on Cass's head.

Bruce quietly closed the door.

Some moments deserved privacy.

Besides.

Cass was smiling in her sleep.