Quality Time - Chapter 04 (Part 01)
Part Two of the "Shots of DC" series.
Companion to "Stolen Time"
Pairings: Bart / Cassie (Kid Flash ii / Wonder Girl ii) (primary), Kon / Tim (Superboy / Robin iii)
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Why is it so easy to abuse Bart? And why is it so easy to make him forget that abuse with kisses and sugar?
Summary: Cassie's moved out to her own apartment, which calls for a house-warming party that doubles as a Young Justice Reunion.
Quality Time
Companion to " Stolen Time"
By Nightmare and Winged Dreamer
Chapter Four
"I'm going to die. I'm going to die. My life is over. I'm going to die," Bart muttered as he paced around Cassie's kitchen, pale and wide-eyed and almost hyperventilating. He had woken up spooned to Cassie's back wearing just his boxers with a mess in said boxers and his hand up her shirt, clasped with hers between her breasts, and he couldn't remember what had happened last night. Everything after his second glass of the Fun Stuff was too fuzzy for him to really know what he had done and that scared him. Vaguely, vaguely he remembered kissing Cassie, and that alone was enough for Bart to want to crawl into a hole and die. Damn it, he'd wanted to be sober when he kissed Cassie for the first time! Not drunk and… and… who knew what else! What if… what if… oh god… "I'm going to die. I'm so going to die."
Conner was leaning against the small kitchen table, watching the Speedster spaz and finding himself more than highly amused. A quick glance at their sleeping bags told him that Tim still hadn't stirred and - satisfied that he wasn't yet needed by his lover - Kon straightened and put a hand out in front of Bart's face. "Nightwing recorded everything, so everything that you don't remember can be seen. Why don't you go ask him to show you?"
"He recorded everything?!" Bart squeaked, horrified.
"Anything that wasn't totally inappropriate so Cissie flashing Dick after you stole her bra isn't going to be there - sadly - but yeah. Almost everything else."
"I stole Cissie's bra?!"
"And Greta's and Cassie's all in one fell swoop. You even peeked, according to you." Kon was grinning, completely amused by the look of utter mortification on Bart's face. Tim's slowly quickening heartbeat, however, was a gentle tap on the shoulder that beckoned him back to his nest of sleeping bags and Teen Wonder. He wanted to be there when Tim finally woke up just in case he was feeling puny or needed to get to the bathroom fast. It was Kon's fault after all and he was going to take care of Tim if Tim needed taking care of. "Yeah, you should see it," he added as he moved out of the kitchen and back toward bed.
"Oh god…" Afraid but needing to see the damage he had done, Bart poked his head out of the kitchen and spotted Dick in the armchair with Cassie's computer on his lap.
Feeling the eyes on him, Dick looked up and smirked at the pale Speedster. "Hey," he softly greeted so the still sleeping girls wouldn't wake up. "Come here." He had heard Bart's spaz and already had the video files open and ready for viewing. This was going to be fun.
Holding in a pained whimper, Bart made his way over to the chair and watched over Dick's shoulder as the older man pressed play on the first video. The first one with the bra-stealing wasn't so bad. Actually, it was a little funny and he managed a weak chuckle at the girls' reactions. However, when Dick started the second one… Bart wanted to crawl into a little hole and disappear. Sober. He had wanted to be sober when he kissed Cassie! Becoming paler and paler as the video went on, Bart eventually just covered his eyes and prayed his death would be quick and painless. God, she had to hate him now…
"Your technique was a little sloppy, but you get an A-plus for enthusiasm," a soft, amused voice murmured from practically right beside him. Cassie had come out of the bedroom about halfway through the second video and had quietly approached the pair. She had been certain that Nightwing had known she was coming and equally certain that Kid Flash had been… a little too preoccupied to notice.
The Speedster yelped in surprise and was suddenly gone, the slam of the bathroom door telling everyone where he had disappeared to.
"I think you scared him, Cass," Dick quietly joked.
"I'll go apologize after I see the rest of what you've got on us," she murmured and leaned over Dick's shoulder from beside the chair to play with the pictures first. She flipped through them quickly, seeing nothing that needed to be deleted, though she was certain some of her friends were going to probably feel otherwise for at least a few of them, then watched the videos she hadn't already seen. Each one was no longer than a few minutes and about ten minutes later, Cassie straightened and smiled. "Thanks for being our cameraman," she murmured and kissed Dick's cheek. He had supported the lot of them more than once in the past and he felt kind of like a big brother. "I'll go see if I can coax Bart out of the bathroom and we'll look into getting everybody up and fed."
Making her way back into her bedroom, Cassie approached the shut bathroom door and gently rapped her knuckles against it. "Bart?"
Silence answered her.
"Bart, you can come out. I promise I'm not mad."
The door cracked open to show one miserable golden eye. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," Cassie murmured and gave him a warm, friendly smile. "C'mon. I can just imagine how hungry you've got to be."
"You're sure you're not mad at me? 'Cause I'm really, really sorry and if you want to hitmethat'sokaybecauseI probablywentoverboardandgodI'msorry."
She hadn't hardly understood a word of that, but she had gotten the meaning. "Come here," she ordered in a firm but gentle voice and pointed at the floor directly in front of her as she stepped back from the bathroom door.
Sighing, certain that he was either going to be hit or yelled at, Bart gave in to his fate and came out of the bathroom to stand right in front of her, his head hanging. It had just been a game. Last night had just been a game and he had gone way overboard with his answers to the dares and he should have refused them and she had every right to be mad at him.
Bart looked so dejected that Cassie couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Smirking a little she reached out and gently caught his face in her hands, hesitating only when he instantly winced before laying her palms gently against his skin so that she was cupping his jaw. Lifting his face, Cassie smiled at him and shook her head. "I'm seriously not mad," she earnestly informed him and then proved it by moving in close and reaching up enough to kiss him gently on the mouth. The soft, encouraging murmur of "really" was out against his mouth before she'd fully realized what she was doing and she felt a blush warm her cheeks as she slowly sank back to the flats of her feet.
All the tension fell off of Bart like a landslide, leaving behind intense relief that almost made him want to cry. Cassie wasn't mad at him. He was going to live and he wasn't going to lose a friend. Strong arms found their way around her shoulders in a heartbeat, pulling her into a tight hug, as a warm cheek pressed to hers. "Thank you."
A soft laugh preceded Cassie's arms winding around his neck. The surrogate Amazon hugged him back as she gave a small shake of her head. "Why are you thanking me? There wasn't anything to be mad about in the first place."
"Doesn't mean you didn't have every right to be mad at me. Y'know, if you hadn't liked it or wanted it or something." Bart tightened his embrace, incredibly thankful that she was taking this so well. "Uh, Cass…?"
"Hm?" Cassie just kept her eyes closed, enjoying the presence and the embrace. Bart smelled good.
Hesitating for a moment, Bart warily asked, "What did… Do I want to know what I did after the game was over?" If she didn't know that he had crawled into bed with her and at some point had stuck his hand up her shirt, then he wasn't going to tell her. Not today, anyway. That probably would get him hit.
Pulling back a bit, Cassie let her hands slip to his chest and just looked at him for a moment before giving him an evil smirk. "Do you really wanna know?"
Her smirk both worried and excited him. Either he had done something really stupid… or really good. "May… be…?"
Unable to stop smirking, Cassie rose up on tip toe just enough so that she could whisper in his ear. "You brought me in here, we started making out again…" Cassie pulled away, continuing in a more normal, almost nonchalant voice. Her lips twitched a little, but she kept most of her amusement at bay rather nicely even if she did say so herself. "But I think the alcohol got the better of you. You passed out before things got too interesting. Still, you're a nice bedwarmer and quite the cuddlebug post-orgasm."
"Post or-" Once again all the blood left Bart's face in horror. If he had started kissing her again, then something had happened to cause the mess in his boxers he had found that morning while they were kissing, and Bart desperately hoped he hadn't done something monumentally stupid or offending or that he'd forced her to do something she hadn't wanted to. "Cassie, what did I do?"
Laughing softly at his horrified expression Cassie shook her head. "Nothing. You were drunk, Bart, but I could have still beat the tar out of you. Hell, you willingly followed me into the kitchen so I could dump a tray of ice down the front of your pants on a dare. I almost think you would have just stood there and taken anything I threw at you. It was kinda of sweet in a twisted sort of way, I guess. Look, all I'm saying is that you didn't do anything I didn't let you do, so stop worrying. Okay?"
"You're not telling me what I did, therefore I'm going to keep worrying because I know very well how dumb I can get. Will you ple-"
A dark head poking around the door cut him off. "Hey, lovebirds, hope I'm not interrupting," teased Dick with a grin. "Cassie, I hope you don't mind, I made myself a copy of the pictures and videos. Anyway, I'd better get going. It was a great party, Cassie. Thanks for letting me join. Oh, you're gonna want to avoid the kitchen for a while. Tim's got a killer hangover and Conner's trying to make him stop hating the world at the moment. See you guys later!" With a wave, he was gone.
"I really, really hope he doesn't show those to Wally," Bart muttered.
"Oh, you can count on that being the subject of a good laugh for all of the older Titans," Cassie told him, her tone casual. Her attention went back to Bart after lingering on the door for a moment longer. "All we did was make out, you got off in the process and that was that. It's no big deal. I didn't mind."
There was no way he was going to win this fight and he knew it. Bart had a feeling Cassie was keeping something from him, but if she didn't want to share then she wasn't going to, and no amount of begging would get past her Amazonian stubbornness. "If you say so." Sighing, Bart dropped onto the edge of the bed, then flopped backwards with a loud thump. "Dammit!"
Bart was really taking the whole situation way too hard. Cassie really hadn't minded at all any of the attention Bart had given her the night before. It had been nice. It had been fun. It had been arousing. Shaking her head a little, the demigoddess approached Bart's knees where they bent against the edge of the bed. Her hands found the mattress to either side of Bart's body and she crawled slowly up until she was kneeling above him on her hands and knees. Blue eyes hooded by seductively long lashes, Cassie gazed down at the boy beneath her and tipped her head to the side, long golden hair cascading off one shoulder. "I didn't realize I was that undesirable…"
Golden eyes grew wide at Cassie's assumption and Bart waved his hands between them, negating her words. "No! No, that's not what I meant! You're pl- You're- I- I meant- Aw, damn." Sighing, he covered his eyes. It was now or never and he didn't want to see her possible rejection, because if anything was going to get her mad at him, this would. "This is going to sound really dumb and I can't believe I'm saying this 'cause I never thought I'd have to, at least not like this, but… I wish I hadn'tbeendrunk last night because I've wanted to kissyouforaverylongtime and I think you're wonderfulandbeautifulandsexyanddamnyouDickforagreeingtobringthatstuff and you're going to hit me now."
"We can't change the past," murmured the blond as she laid down beside him on her side. "But we can recreate it." Light fingertips ghosted across the collarbone closest to her and then down the center line of his wonderfully exposed chest. The way her body seemed to come alive at the feel of his smooth, taut skin beneath her fingertips was undeniable. There was definitely attraction and already a working relationship between them. It wouldn't be too far-fetched for them to try something a little deeper.
One hand lifted to reveal a wary yet hopeful honey-gold eye. If Cassie was saying what Bart hoped she was saying… "Recreate it…?"
"Not in exact detail," Cassie agreed in a slightly thoughtful tone. A small squirm brought her closer to Bart's warm body and her hand continued its happy trek toward Bart's abdomen. "But at least to the same effect. Or close to it. Give or take a few variables here and there."
Her fingers found a sensitive spot on Bart's stomach and he jumped a little, finally noticing the light caresses over his bare flesh and the little ripples of pleasurable lightning they sent dancing over his skin. He had been so focused on what she was saying that he hadn't been paying the least attention to what she was doing. Not that he wanted to complain. Having Cassie's hands on him was not something he would have turned down for anything. Daring a slow, playful smile, Bart let the other hand slide off his face and met Cassie's beautiful gaze. "Okay. Take away the variable of us having been drinking. Add in the variable of…?"
Propping herself up on her elbow, the demigoddess leaned over him until they were almost nose to nose, the tip of her middle finger circling his navel. "Possibilities… potentials… Despite the lack of form - which I will completely attribute to the amount of alcohol you consumed last night - you're not a bad kisser, and I'd like to gamble on the fact that you just might manage to knock my socks off… if we were to try that all again sober."
Bart's smile was very quickly turning into a bright grin. "I think I could be persuaded into trying again. You have forever to stop doing that, by the way." The finger on his navel felt absolutely wonderful, making him shiver with pleasure and starting a plasma-hot fire in his loins.
"Good. That just means I can take my time." Leaning down, Cassie caught Bart's mouth in a gentle but confident kiss that fastened her lips to his with vigor. This time around there was a fluidity to the brushing of their lips and when his tongue slipped into her mouth it was timid, but controlled, entirely unlike the night before. Wanting to be close, Cassie pulled herself up onto Bart's stomach without upsetting the hungry rhythm of their kiss. Straddling his waist, Wonder Girl let her hands run up his sternum, over his ribs and to his chest where they settled.
Letting out a soft moan as her hands awoke many new and perfect sensations within him, Bart wrapped his arms around Cassie's waist and pulled her down to lay completely on top of him. Hard, bare muscle met firm yet giving flesh hiding behind a thin, teasing layer of cotton and the young Speedster groaned, wishing the barrier didn't exist. Firmly deciding to let it be an obstacle for another day when they were doing more than just testing the waters, he more than willingly focused his attention on committing the wonderfully new-but-not taste of Cassie's delicious mouth to memory.
A polite knock on the door sounded in the relatively quiet room and a blond head poked in. "Hey Cassie, do you mind if we- Oh jeez I'm sorry!" Blushing, Greta quickly disappeared.
Cassie didn't need to look to know who had just poked her head in. Pulling out of the kiss but only just barely, Cassie smirked and rubbed the tip of her nose against Bart's. "I have guests, but you're welcome to stick around once they're gone," she crooned and then slipped away from him, righting her clothes and her hair as she pulled open her bedroom door and stepped out. Other than her pinkened and slightly plumper lips, there was no indication of what had just transpired behind the closed door of Cassie's bedroom. They all probably knew but not without the shadow of a doubt. "What was that again, Greta?"
The former Secret started a little and whipped her head around at Cassie, only to quickly drop her gaze in embarrassment. "Uhm, do you mind if we make some breakfast? Cissie needs something in her stomach to help with her headache and I think Tim can manage something now that Conner's finally gotten a banana into him."
"What does everybody want? I have cereal and the ingredients for French toast, pancakes or waffles. I think I might even have oatmeal and poptarts." Wonder Girl raised her voice to address the whole apartment, ignoring Greta's obvious embarrassment. Cassie wasn't upset so why should Greta be?
"Cereal is fine. Bagels? Tim likes them and they'll probably help a bit." Filling up the doorway to the kitchen, Conner leaned against the entryway frame and smirked, noting that Cassie looked ever-so-slightly ruffled.
"Bagels are in the fridge and the toaster's under the counter if you need it. Top shelf of the cupboard on the left."
"Thanks, Cass." Conner disappeared again.
Cissie rose from her pathetic sprawl on the floor and trudged to the bathroom. She returned a few minutes later, looking rather zombified, but at least conscious as she walked into the kitchen where they had all, but Bart convened. "Bagel," she demanded and took the plain bagel Kon handed her. Digging in with eager fingers, she added, "Thank you."
"Who let the zombie in?" asked the Speedster from the bedroom doorway, highly amused by just how out of it Cissie was.
"Cissie's always a zombie the morning after a party." Giggling a little, Greta stole a quick, hopefully unnoticed look at the mostly naked Bart and headed for the kitchen. "Thank, Cassie. Uhm, sorry I bothered you two."
Smirking, Bart blurred a little and suddenly he was wearing his tank top. "Blueberry pancakes?" he suggested to Cassie. "I make 'em, you help me eat 'em?"
"Sounds good to me." Taking up a seat at the kitchen table, Cassie surveyed the group around her and smiled. "Thanks for coming you guys. This… really means a lot to me."
"Any time, Cass. Hey, Imp, count me in on the pancakes!"
"Mm, yeah, any time Cassie. I got to have a breathing pillow for the night," Cissie murmured as she picked at her bagel.
Bart razzed Conner on his way to the pantry, on a mission to find the pancake ingredients. "You want pancakes, make them yourself. Hey, Tim. How are you feeling?"
On to Part Two... damn size restrictions
Companion to "Stolen Time"
Pairings: Bart / Cassie (Kid Flash ii / Wonder Girl ii) (primary), Kon / Tim (Superboy / Robin iii)
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Why is it so easy to abuse Bart? And why is it so easy to make him forget that abuse with kisses and sugar?
Summary: Cassie's moved out to her own apartment, which calls for a house-warming party that doubles as a Young Justice Reunion.
Quality Time
Companion to " Stolen Time"
By Nightmare and Winged Dreamer
Chapter Four
"I'm going to die. I'm going to die. My life is over. I'm going to die," Bart muttered as he paced around Cassie's kitchen, pale and wide-eyed and almost hyperventilating. He had woken up spooned to Cassie's back wearing just his boxers with a mess in said boxers and his hand up her shirt, clasped with hers between her breasts, and he couldn't remember what had happened last night. Everything after his second glass of the Fun Stuff was too fuzzy for him to really know what he had done and that scared him. Vaguely, vaguely he remembered kissing Cassie, and that alone was enough for Bart to want to crawl into a hole and die. Damn it, he'd wanted to be sober when he kissed Cassie for the first time! Not drunk and… and… who knew what else! What if… what if… oh god… "I'm going to die. I'm so going to die."
Conner was leaning against the small kitchen table, watching the Speedster spaz and finding himself more than highly amused. A quick glance at their sleeping bags told him that Tim still hadn't stirred and - satisfied that he wasn't yet needed by his lover - Kon straightened and put a hand out in front of Bart's face. "Nightwing recorded everything, so everything that you don't remember can be seen. Why don't you go ask him to show you?"
"He recorded everything?!" Bart squeaked, horrified.
"Anything that wasn't totally inappropriate so Cissie flashing Dick after you stole her bra isn't going to be there - sadly - but yeah. Almost everything else."
"I stole Cissie's bra?!"
"And Greta's and Cassie's all in one fell swoop. You even peeked, according to you." Kon was grinning, completely amused by the look of utter mortification on Bart's face. Tim's slowly quickening heartbeat, however, was a gentle tap on the shoulder that beckoned him back to his nest of sleeping bags and Teen Wonder. He wanted to be there when Tim finally woke up just in case he was feeling puny or needed to get to the bathroom fast. It was Kon's fault after all and he was going to take care of Tim if Tim needed taking care of. "Yeah, you should see it," he added as he moved out of the kitchen and back toward bed.
"Oh god…" Afraid but needing to see the damage he had done, Bart poked his head out of the kitchen and spotted Dick in the armchair with Cassie's computer on his lap.
Feeling the eyes on him, Dick looked up and smirked at the pale Speedster. "Hey," he softly greeted so the still sleeping girls wouldn't wake up. "Come here." He had heard Bart's spaz and already had the video files open and ready for viewing. This was going to be fun.
Holding in a pained whimper, Bart made his way over to the chair and watched over Dick's shoulder as the older man pressed play on the first video. The first one with the bra-stealing wasn't so bad. Actually, it was a little funny and he managed a weak chuckle at the girls' reactions. However, when Dick started the second one… Bart wanted to crawl into a little hole and disappear. Sober. He had wanted to be sober when he kissed Cassie! Becoming paler and paler as the video went on, Bart eventually just covered his eyes and prayed his death would be quick and painless. God, she had to hate him now…
"Your technique was a little sloppy, but you get an A-plus for enthusiasm," a soft, amused voice murmured from practically right beside him. Cassie had come out of the bedroom about halfway through the second video and had quietly approached the pair. She had been certain that Nightwing had known she was coming and equally certain that Kid Flash had been… a little too preoccupied to notice.
The Speedster yelped in surprise and was suddenly gone, the slam of the bathroom door telling everyone where he had disappeared to.
"I think you scared him, Cass," Dick quietly joked.
"I'll go apologize after I see the rest of what you've got on us," she murmured and leaned over Dick's shoulder from beside the chair to play with the pictures first. She flipped through them quickly, seeing nothing that needed to be deleted, though she was certain some of her friends were going to probably feel otherwise for at least a few of them, then watched the videos she hadn't already seen. Each one was no longer than a few minutes and about ten minutes later, Cassie straightened and smiled. "Thanks for being our cameraman," she murmured and kissed Dick's cheek. He had supported the lot of them more than once in the past and he felt kind of like a big brother. "I'll go see if I can coax Bart out of the bathroom and we'll look into getting everybody up and fed."
Making her way back into her bedroom, Cassie approached the shut bathroom door and gently rapped her knuckles against it. "Bart?"
Silence answered her.
"Bart, you can come out. I promise I'm not mad."
The door cracked open to show one miserable golden eye. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," Cassie murmured and gave him a warm, friendly smile. "C'mon. I can just imagine how hungry you've got to be."
"You're sure you're not mad at me? 'Cause I'm really, really sorry and if you want to hitmethat'sokaybecauseI probablywentoverboardandgodI'msorry."
She hadn't hardly understood a word of that, but she had gotten the meaning. "Come here," she ordered in a firm but gentle voice and pointed at the floor directly in front of her as she stepped back from the bathroom door.
Sighing, certain that he was either going to be hit or yelled at, Bart gave in to his fate and came out of the bathroom to stand right in front of her, his head hanging. It had just been a game. Last night had just been a game and he had gone way overboard with his answers to the dares and he should have refused them and she had every right to be mad at him.
Bart looked so dejected that Cassie couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Smirking a little she reached out and gently caught his face in her hands, hesitating only when he instantly winced before laying her palms gently against his skin so that she was cupping his jaw. Lifting his face, Cassie smiled at him and shook her head. "I'm seriously not mad," she earnestly informed him and then proved it by moving in close and reaching up enough to kiss him gently on the mouth. The soft, encouraging murmur of "really" was out against his mouth before she'd fully realized what she was doing and she felt a blush warm her cheeks as she slowly sank back to the flats of her feet.
All the tension fell off of Bart like a landslide, leaving behind intense relief that almost made him want to cry. Cassie wasn't mad at him. He was going to live and he wasn't going to lose a friend. Strong arms found their way around her shoulders in a heartbeat, pulling her into a tight hug, as a warm cheek pressed to hers. "Thank you."
A soft laugh preceded Cassie's arms winding around his neck. The surrogate Amazon hugged him back as she gave a small shake of her head. "Why are you thanking me? There wasn't anything to be mad about in the first place."
"Doesn't mean you didn't have every right to be mad at me. Y'know, if you hadn't liked it or wanted it or something." Bart tightened his embrace, incredibly thankful that she was taking this so well. "Uh, Cass…?"
"Hm?" Cassie just kept her eyes closed, enjoying the presence and the embrace. Bart smelled good.
Hesitating for a moment, Bart warily asked, "What did… Do I want to know what I did after the game was over?" If she didn't know that he had crawled into bed with her and at some point had stuck his hand up her shirt, then he wasn't going to tell her. Not today, anyway. That probably would get him hit.
Pulling back a bit, Cassie let her hands slip to his chest and just looked at him for a moment before giving him an evil smirk. "Do you really wanna know?"
Her smirk both worried and excited him. Either he had done something really stupid… or really good. "May… be…?"
Unable to stop smirking, Cassie rose up on tip toe just enough so that she could whisper in his ear. "You brought me in here, we started making out again…" Cassie pulled away, continuing in a more normal, almost nonchalant voice. Her lips twitched a little, but she kept most of her amusement at bay rather nicely even if she did say so herself. "But I think the alcohol got the better of you. You passed out before things got too interesting. Still, you're a nice bedwarmer and quite the cuddlebug post-orgasm."
"Post or-" Once again all the blood left Bart's face in horror. If he had started kissing her again, then something had happened to cause the mess in his boxers he had found that morning while they were kissing, and Bart desperately hoped he hadn't done something monumentally stupid or offending or that he'd forced her to do something she hadn't wanted to. "Cassie, what did I do?"
Laughing softly at his horrified expression Cassie shook her head. "Nothing. You were drunk, Bart, but I could have still beat the tar out of you. Hell, you willingly followed me into the kitchen so I could dump a tray of ice down the front of your pants on a dare. I almost think you would have just stood there and taken anything I threw at you. It was kinda of sweet in a twisted sort of way, I guess. Look, all I'm saying is that you didn't do anything I didn't let you do, so stop worrying. Okay?"
"You're not telling me what I did, therefore I'm going to keep worrying because I know very well how dumb I can get. Will you ple-"
A dark head poking around the door cut him off. "Hey, lovebirds, hope I'm not interrupting," teased Dick with a grin. "Cassie, I hope you don't mind, I made myself a copy of the pictures and videos. Anyway, I'd better get going. It was a great party, Cassie. Thanks for letting me join. Oh, you're gonna want to avoid the kitchen for a while. Tim's got a killer hangover and Conner's trying to make him stop hating the world at the moment. See you guys later!" With a wave, he was gone.
"I really, really hope he doesn't show those to Wally," Bart muttered.
"Oh, you can count on that being the subject of a good laugh for all of the older Titans," Cassie told him, her tone casual. Her attention went back to Bart after lingering on the door for a moment longer. "All we did was make out, you got off in the process and that was that. It's no big deal. I didn't mind."
There was no way he was going to win this fight and he knew it. Bart had a feeling Cassie was keeping something from him, but if she didn't want to share then she wasn't going to, and no amount of begging would get past her Amazonian stubbornness. "If you say so." Sighing, Bart dropped onto the edge of the bed, then flopped backwards with a loud thump. "Dammit!"
Bart was really taking the whole situation way too hard. Cassie really hadn't minded at all any of the attention Bart had given her the night before. It had been nice. It had been fun. It had been arousing. Shaking her head a little, the demigoddess approached Bart's knees where they bent against the edge of the bed. Her hands found the mattress to either side of Bart's body and she crawled slowly up until she was kneeling above him on her hands and knees. Blue eyes hooded by seductively long lashes, Cassie gazed down at the boy beneath her and tipped her head to the side, long golden hair cascading off one shoulder. "I didn't realize I was that undesirable…"
Golden eyes grew wide at Cassie's assumption and Bart waved his hands between them, negating her words. "No! No, that's not what I meant! You're pl- You're- I- I meant- Aw, damn." Sighing, he covered his eyes. It was now or never and he didn't want to see her possible rejection, because if anything was going to get her mad at him, this would. "This is going to sound really dumb and I can't believe I'm saying this 'cause I never thought I'd have to, at least not like this, but… I wish I hadn'tbeendrunk last night because I've wanted to kissyouforaverylongtime and I think you're wonderfulandbeautifulandsexyanddamnyouDickforagreeingtobringthatstuff and you're going to hit me now."
"We can't change the past," murmured the blond as she laid down beside him on her side. "But we can recreate it." Light fingertips ghosted across the collarbone closest to her and then down the center line of his wonderfully exposed chest. The way her body seemed to come alive at the feel of his smooth, taut skin beneath her fingertips was undeniable. There was definitely attraction and already a working relationship between them. It wouldn't be too far-fetched for them to try something a little deeper.
One hand lifted to reveal a wary yet hopeful honey-gold eye. If Cassie was saying what Bart hoped she was saying… "Recreate it…?"
"Not in exact detail," Cassie agreed in a slightly thoughtful tone. A small squirm brought her closer to Bart's warm body and her hand continued its happy trek toward Bart's abdomen. "But at least to the same effect. Or close to it. Give or take a few variables here and there."
Her fingers found a sensitive spot on Bart's stomach and he jumped a little, finally noticing the light caresses over his bare flesh and the little ripples of pleasurable lightning they sent dancing over his skin. He had been so focused on what she was saying that he hadn't been paying the least attention to what she was doing. Not that he wanted to complain. Having Cassie's hands on him was not something he would have turned down for anything. Daring a slow, playful smile, Bart let the other hand slide off his face and met Cassie's beautiful gaze. "Okay. Take away the variable of us having been drinking. Add in the variable of…?"
Propping herself up on her elbow, the demigoddess leaned over him until they were almost nose to nose, the tip of her middle finger circling his navel. "Possibilities… potentials… Despite the lack of form - which I will completely attribute to the amount of alcohol you consumed last night - you're not a bad kisser, and I'd like to gamble on the fact that you just might manage to knock my socks off… if we were to try that all again sober."
Bart's smile was very quickly turning into a bright grin. "I think I could be persuaded into trying again. You have forever to stop doing that, by the way." The finger on his navel felt absolutely wonderful, making him shiver with pleasure and starting a plasma-hot fire in his loins.
"Good. That just means I can take my time." Leaning down, Cassie caught Bart's mouth in a gentle but confident kiss that fastened her lips to his with vigor. This time around there was a fluidity to the brushing of their lips and when his tongue slipped into her mouth it was timid, but controlled, entirely unlike the night before. Wanting to be close, Cassie pulled herself up onto Bart's stomach without upsetting the hungry rhythm of their kiss. Straddling his waist, Wonder Girl let her hands run up his sternum, over his ribs and to his chest where they settled.
Letting out a soft moan as her hands awoke many new and perfect sensations within him, Bart wrapped his arms around Cassie's waist and pulled her down to lay completely on top of him. Hard, bare muscle met firm yet giving flesh hiding behind a thin, teasing layer of cotton and the young Speedster groaned, wishing the barrier didn't exist. Firmly deciding to let it be an obstacle for another day when they were doing more than just testing the waters, he more than willingly focused his attention on committing the wonderfully new-but-not taste of Cassie's delicious mouth to memory.
A polite knock on the door sounded in the relatively quiet room and a blond head poked in. "Hey Cassie, do you mind if we- Oh jeez I'm sorry!" Blushing, Greta quickly disappeared.
Cassie didn't need to look to know who had just poked her head in. Pulling out of the kiss but only just barely, Cassie smirked and rubbed the tip of her nose against Bart's. "I have guests, but you're welcome to stick around once they're gone," she crooned and then slipped away from him, righting her clothes and her hair as she pulled open her bedroom door and stepped out. Other than her pinkened and slightly plumper lips, there was no indication of what had just transpired behind the closed door of Cassie's bedroom. They all probably knew but not without the shadow of a doubt. "What was that again, Greta?"
The former Secret started a little and whipped her head around at Cassie, only to quickly drop her gaze in embarrassment. "Uhm, do you mind if we make some breakfast? Cissie needs something in her stomach to help with her headache and I think Tim can manage something now that Conner's finally gotten a banana into him."
"What does everybody want? I have cereal and the ingredients for French toast, pancakes or waffles. I think I might even have oatmeal and poptarts." Wonder Girl raised her voice to address the whole apartment, ignoring Greta's obvious embarrassment. Cassie wasn't upset so why should Greta be?
"Cereal is fine. Bagels? Tim likes them and they'll probably help a bit." Filling up the doorway to the kitchen, Conner leaned against the entryway frame and smirked, noting that Cassie looked ever-so-slightly ruffled.
"Bagels are in the fridge and the toaster's under the counter if you need it. Top shelf of the cupboard on the left."
"Thanks, Cass." Conner disappeared again.
Cissie rose from her pathetic sprawl on the floor and trudged to the bathroom. She returned a few minutes later, looking rather zombified, but at least conscious as she walked into the kitchen where they had all, but Bart convened. "Bagel," she demanded and took the plain bagel Kon handed her. Digging in with eager fingers, she added, "Thank you."
"Who let the zombie in?" asked the Speedster from the bedroom doorway, highly amused by just how out of it Cissie was.
"Cissie's always a zombie the morning after a party." Giggling a little, Greta stole a quick, hopefully unnoticed look at the mostly naked Bart and headed for the kitchen. "Thank, Cassie. Uhm, sorry I bothered you two."
Smirking, Bart blurred a little and suddenly he was wearing his tank top. "Blueberry pancakes?" he suggested to Cassie. "I make 'em, you help me eat 'em?"
"Sounds good to me." Taking up a seat at the kitchen table, Cassie surveyed the group around her and smiled. "Thanks for coming you guys. This… really means a lot to me."
"Any time, Cass. Hey, Imp, count me in on the pancakes!"
"Mm, yeah, any time Cassie. I got to have a breathing pillow for the night," Cissie murmured as she picked at her bagel.
Bart razzed Conner on his way to the pantry, on a mission to find the pancake ingredients. "You want pancakes, make them yourself. Hey, Tim. How are you feeling?"
On to Part Two... damn size restrictions