Fic: Making it Work (Cass/Jason/Steph)
Title: Making it Work
Author: Milleniumrex
Fandom: DCU Batverse
Pairing: Cassandra Cain/Jason Todd/Stephanie Brown
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1672
Summary: It wasn't conventional in any way, but somehow it was exactly what they all needed.
Author's Notes: OMG double-duty challenge fic. :D This is written for Shiny_glor_chan's Jason Needs More Love Challenge as well as DCx3's Ladies' Choice Challenge. This is a series of five short fics set in the same verse as Settling Accounts, where Cass, Jason, and Steph got together after Cass was paralyzed in an accident on patrol. Inspired by Adding Something Better to it by pervyficgirl.
Making Her Own Help:
Cass had a high tolerance for pain and discomfort. It came from years of training at her father's hands and Batman's, and she was proud of it. She had beaten Lady Shiva with a broken collarbone, willed herself to keep from passing out while stranded in a frozen wilderness, and pushed herself through months of agonizing physical therapy after her injury. But somehow, this persistent itch on her cheek was harder to endure than any of those.
She had adjusted to being a quadriplegic better than most patients, Leslie had told her. That surprised everyone, as much as her life had been devoted to physical pursuits, but there were still things she had a lot of trouble with. Asking for help was one of them. She hated it, and found it much easier to suffer in silence than ask. But this itch wasn't going away, and she didn't know how much longer she could take it. Cass glared down at her arms, trying to will them to move. Nothing.
With a sigh, Cass used the control straw to drive her wheelchair into the next room where Jason was. He was standing over the kitchen counter, looking over some files. Cass opened her mouth to say something, but stopped before any words came out. Looking at where Jason was standing, she carefully aligned her wheelchair with his legs. Driving it forward, she pushed into him from behind, causing him to topple backwards into her lap.
"Cass? What the - "
Cass rubbed her face against Jason's two-day stubble, sighing with relief as the itch alleviated itself.
"You know, babe, you could have just asked me to scratch your face for you." Jason laughed.
"More fun this way." Cass smiled as she leaned in and passionately kissed Jason. Knocking him into her lap had more than one purpose.
A Little Faith:
"You're crazy."
Cass eyed Steph with suspicion as her girlfriend looked over the brochures.
"Totally not crazy, Cass. I want you to come to college with me."
"But...I never went to school. Ever."
"There's ways around that. I spent a year in Africa and got my GED when I came back, remember?"
"But you're smart. I'm...not."
"Cass..." Steph sighed and leaned in to kiss her girlfriend. "You are smart. You remember that wolf-boy Babs told you about? He was younger than you when he was found, and he never managed to get half the language skills you did. You've come so far already. They've got a lot of programs for people with learning disabilities, and I'll be there to help you. I just...really want to see you get out of this apartment more, start a new life."
"I have a life. You're here. And Jason."
"I know. But you can't stay cooped up in here with us forever. You're 19, you've got your whole life ahead of you, and this is a great way to start exploring what you want to do with it." Steph reached over and stroked Cass' cheek. "I know it seems scary, but we'll take it slow. We can sign you up for one class - just auditing it, so you won't have to worry about tests - and see if you can handle it. Sound good?"
Cass nodded. "What about Jason? Is he coming too?"
Steph rolled her eyes. "I asked him if he ever thought about going back to school, and he laughed for 15 minutes straight. Then said something about 'the school of hard knocks' or something macho like that."
"Such a boy." Cass laughed. "So...what class?"
"That's up to you. Gotham U. has hundreds of options. We can go over them together."
Cass smiled as Steph rested her head on her shoulder and started leafing through the big brochure. It wasn't anything she had expected, but this was kind of exciting. Scary, but she was looking forward to it.
Some Much-Needed Downtime:
Jason placed his hand on Cass' chest as they finished the workout, feeling her heart beat a mile a minute. It never failed to amaze him. She was maybe half his weight, and yet her endurance was like nothing he'd ever seen. Cass, breathing heavily, closed her eyes for a minute.
"You ready to stop for the day, babe? You kicked ass."
"How long?"
"It doesn't really matter how long you've been working out if you're exhausted, right? Don't want you to burn out."
"How long?"
Jason looked at his watch. "Hour and a half."
Cass nodded. "Half an hour more. Haven't done the bike yet."
"You sure?"
Cass nodded fiercely, determination in her eyes.
"Okay, okay. Let's just take a break first. You thirsty?"
Cass nodded, and Jason lifted the water battle to her mouth so she could take a sip. Jason sat down next to her and ran his fingers through her hair for a minute. God, she was beautiful, and so determined. She'd never lost focus for a second. Although she was totally paralyzed from the shoulders down, her spinal cord hadn't been severed like Barbara's, only partially crushed. She had latched onto that bit of hope and used it to keep her motivated. Jason wondered if he would have been nearly as strong. He doubted it.
After spending a minute with his arms around her, Jason got up and went to set up the automatic bike that exercised Cass' limbs for her. It took a lot out of her, but she wanted to keep her body in the same condition, and he knew better than to tell her to take it easy. He programmed the time and settings and walked back to get Cass.
"Hey, Cass, I - "
Cass' eyes were closed as she lay propped up against the mat where Jason had left her. A very quiet snore could be heard coming from her mouth as she slept. Jason sat down next to her and wrapped his arm across her shoulders as she slept. She'd make him help her finish the workout when she woke, he knew, but right now, she had more than earned a little rest. He planted a soft kiss on her cheek and was secretly glad no one could see him right now. Somehow, she brought out the best in him.
Emergency Provisions:
Steph bit back a pained yell as Jason examined her swollen ankle, silently cursing her stupidity. It was a rookie mistake, and she was pissed off at herself for making it - especially considering just how much was riding on her staying healthy.
"Yeah, I'm no doctor, but my guess is you've fractured something. You'd better get it x-rayed at Leslie's clinic. How the hell did this happen?"
"It's winter in Gotham, Jason. How do you think it happened?" Steph sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have chased that guy. He was only a purse-snatcher, and I knew there was ice in the alley, but I hate criminals who prey on women, and - "
"Relax. It happens to the best of us. You'll get it treated, and you'll be back on your feet soon enough."
"But what about until then, Jay? If it's broken, I could be in a cast for a month!" Steph rubbed her temples. "I mean, people rely on me! Cass needs me, and - "
"Steph. Relax." Jason leaned in and kissed her mid-sentence. "I'll manage. I'm not as useless as you think."
"No, you're definitely not useless. But still, there's things around here that only I know how to do." Steph paused as a terrible thought hit her. "Oh, God. What about cooking? We're all going to die of starvation or fast-food coma."
"I said I'll manage." Jason smirked. "Now stay right here. I'm going to go get you an ice pack and make an appointment for you at the clinic."
Jason walked into the kitchen. He'd call the clinic, but he had one more call to make first.
"Hello, Alfred? We've got a crisis over here. That offer for sending over meals still stand?"
Safe Haven:
Jason groaned as he stepped through the window into the apartment. The other guy had gotten it much worse, of course, but every nerve ending in his body was screaming from the beating he had taken. He wondered why he still put himself through this some nights, when the streets never seemed to get any better. Somehow, as he got older (at the ripe old age of 20, he thought with a smirk) it seemed like he was making less and less of a difference.
He peeled off his shirt, looking the web of bruises and slashes over in the mirror. Nothing minor, although he'd probably feel like death in the morning. He bandaged up anything bleeding and walked over to the bedroom. Cass and Steph were asleep in bed, Steph with her arms wrapped around Cass' body. Jason carefully crawled into bed, being careful not to disturb them.
Slowly, Cass turned her head towards him and opened her eyes. Quietly, she whispered in his ear. "Just got in?"
"Yeah. Rough night out there."
"Looks like it." Her eyes traced the marks covering his torso.
"The other guy looks much worse."
"I hope so." Cass said with a smile. She paused, and her face turned slightly sad. "I still miss it."
"I know you do. I miss having you out there with me, kicking ass and taking names."
As fast as her moment of sadness had come, Cass pushed it away and nuzzled Jason's arm. He took the invitation and wrapped his arms around her as they drifted off to sleep next to their partner. Cass smiled to herself as she drifted off to sleep. Yes, she would always miss running the rooftops, but if she had never been hurt, she never would have found the love she had now. Whether it was a fair trade, she didn't know, but it was one she could live with. It had been hard adjusting to a life without movement, but with Jason and Steph, she was making it work.
Author: Milleniumrex
Fandom: DCU Batverse
Pairing: Cassandra Cain/Jason Todd/Stephanie Brown
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1672
Summary: It wasn't conventional in any way, but somehow it was exactly what they all needed.
Author's Notes: OMG double-duty challenge fic. :D This is written for Shiny_glor_chan's Jason Needs More Love Challenge as well as DCx3's Ladies' Choice Challenge. This is a series of five short fics set in the same verse as Settling Accounts, where Cass, Jason, and Steph got together after Cass was paralyzed in an accident on patrol. Inspired by Adding Something Better to it by pervyficgirl.
Making Her Own Help:
Cass had a high tolerance for pain and discomfort. It came from years of training at her father's hands and Batman's, and she was proud of it. She had beaten Lady Shiva with a broken collarbone, willed herself to keep from passing out while stranded in a frozen wilderness, and pushed herself through months of agonizing physical therapy after her injury. But somehow, this persistent itch on her cheek was harder to endure than any of those.
She had adjusted to being a quadriplegic better than most patients, Leslie had told her. That surprised everyone, as much as her life had been devoted to physical pursuits, but there were still things she had a lot of trouble with. Asking for help was one of them. She hated it, and found it much easier to suffer in silence than ask. But this itch wasn't going away, and she didn't know how much longer she could take it. Cass glared down at her arms, trying to will them to move. Nothing.
With a sigh, Cass used the control straw to drive her wheelchair into the next room where Jason was. He was standing over the kitchen counter, looking over some files. Cass opened her mouth to say something, but stopped before any words came out. Looking at where Jason was standing, she carefully aligned her wheelchair with his legs. Driving it forward, she pushed into him from behind, causing him to topple backwards into her lap.
"Cass? What the - "
Cass rubbed her face against Jason's two-day stubble, sighing with relief as the itch alleviated itself.
"You know, babe, you could have just asked me to scratch your face for you." Jason laughed.
"More fun this way." Cass smiled as she leaned in and passionately kissed Jason. Knocking him into her lap had more than one purpose.
A Little Faith:
"You're crazy."
Cass eyed Steph with suspicion as her girlfriend looked over the brochures.
"Totally not crazy, Cass. I want you to come to college with me."
"But...I never went to school. Ever."
"There's ways around that. I spent a year in Africa and got my GED when I came back, remember?"
"But you're smart. I'm...not."
"Cass..." Steph sighed and leaned in to kiss her girlfriend. "You are smart. You remember that wolf-boy Babs told you about? He was younger than you when he was found, and he never managed to get half the language skills you did. You've come so far already. They've got a lot of programs for people with learning disabilities, and I'll be there to help you. I just...really want to see you get out of this apartment more, start a new life."
"I have a life. You're here. And Jason."
"I know. But you can't stay cooped up in here with us forever. You're 19, you've got your whole life ahead of you, and this is a great way to start exploring what you want to do with it." Steph reached over and stroked Cass' cheek. "I know it seems scary, but we'll take it slow. We can sign you up for one class - just auditing it, so you won't have to worry about tests - and see if you can handle it. Sound good?"
Cass nodded. "What about Jason? Is he coming too?"
Steph rolled her eyes. "I asked him if he ever thought about going back to school, and he laughed for 15 minutes straight. Then said something about 'the school of hard knocks' or something macho like that."
"Such a boy." Cass laughed. "So...what class?"
"That's up to you. Gotham U. has hundreds of options. We can go over them together."
Cass smiled as Steph rested her head on her shoulder and started leafing through the big brochure. It wasn't anything she had expected, but this was kind of exciting. Scary, but she was looking forward to it.
Some Much-Needed Downtime:
Jason placed his hand on Cass' chest as they finished the workout, feeling her heart beat a mile a minute. It never failed to amaze him. She was maybe half his weight, and yet her endurance was like nothing he'd ever seen. Cass, breathing heavily, closed her eyes for a minute.
"You ready to stop for the day, babe? You kicked ass."
"How long?"
"It doesn't really matter how long you've been working out if you're exhausted, right? Don't want you to burn out."
"How long?"
Jason looked at his watch. "Hour and a half."
Cass nodded. "Half an hour more. Haven't done the bike yet."
"You sure?"
Cass nodded fiercely, determination in her eyes.
"Okay, okay. Let's just take a break first. You thirsty?"
Cass nodded, and Jason lifted the water battle to her mouth so she could take a sip. Jason sat down next to her and ran his fingers through her hair for a minute. God, she was beautiful, and so determined. She'd never lost focus for a second. Although she was totally paralyzed from the shoulders down, her spinal cord hadn't been severed like Barbara's, only partially crushed. She had latched onto that bit of hope and used it to keep her motivated. Jason wondered if he would have been nearly as strong. He doubted it.
After spending a minute with his arms around her, Jason got up and went to set up the automatic bike that exercised Cass' limbs for her. It took a lot out of her, but she wanted to keep her body in the same condition, and he knew better than to tell her to take it easy. He programmed the time and settings and walked back to get Cass.
"Hey, Cass, I - "
Cass' eyes were closed as she lay propped up against the mat where Jason had left her. A very quiet snore could be heard coming from her mouth as she slept. Jason sat down next to her and wrapped his arm across her shoulders as she slept. She'd make him help her finish the workout when she woke, he knew, but right now, she had more than earned a little rest. He planted a soft kiss on her cheek and was secretly glad no one could see him right now. Somehow, she brought out the best in him.
Emergency Provisions:
Steph bit back a pained yell as Jason examined her swollen ankle, silently cursing her stupidity. It was a rookie mistake, and she was pissed off at herself for making it - especially considering just how much was riding on her staying healthy.
"Yeah, I'm no doctor, but my guess is you've fractured something. You'd better get it x-rayed at Leslie's clinic. How the hell did this happen?"
"It's winter in Gotham, Jason. How do you think it happened?" Steph sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have chased that guy. He was only a purse-snatcher, and I knew there was ice in the alley, but I hate criminals who prey on women, and - "
"Relax. It happens to the best of us. You'll get it treated, and you'll be back on your feet soon enough."
"But what about until then, Jay? If it's broken, I could be in a cast for a month!" Steph rubbed her temples. "I mean, people rely on me! Cass needs me, and - "
"Steph. Relax." Jason leaned in and kissed her mid-sentence. "I'll manage. I'm not as useless as you think."
"No, you're definitely not useless. But still, there's things around here that only I know how to do." Steph paused as a terrible thought hit her. "Oh, God. What about cooking? We're all going to die of starvation or fast-food coma."
"I said I'll manage." Jason smirked. "Now stay right here. I'm going to go get you an ice pack and make an appointment for you at the clinic."
Jason walked into the kitchen. He'd call the clinic, but he had one more call to make first.
"Hello, Alfred? We've got a crisis over here. That offer for sending over meals still stand?"
Safe Haven:
Jason groaned as he stepped through the window into the apartment. The other guy had gotten it much worse, of course, but every nerve ending in his body was screaming from the beating he had taken. He wondered why he still put himself through this some nights, when the streets never seemed to get any better. Somehow, as he got older (at the ripe old age of 20, he thought with a smirk) it seemed like he was making less and less of a difference.
He peeled off his shirt, looking the web of bruises and slashes over in the mirror. Nothing minor, although he'd probably feel like death in the morning. He bandaged up anything bleeding and walked over to the bedroom. Cass and Steph were asleep in bed, Steph with her arms wrapped around Cass' body. Jason carefully crawled into bed, being careful not to disturb them.
Slowly, Cass turned her head towards him and opened her eyes. Quietly, she whispered in his ear. "Just got in?"
"Yeah. Rough night out there."
"Looks like it." Her eyes traced the marks covering his torso.
"The other guy looks much worse."
"I hope so." Cass said with a smile. She paused, and her face turned slightly sad. "I still miss it."
"I know you do. I miss having you out there with me, kicking ass and taking names."
As fast as her moment of sadness had come, Cass pushed it away and nuzzled Jason's arm. He took the invitation and wrapped his arms around her as they drifted off to sleep next to their partner. Cass smiled to herself as she drifted off to sleep. Yes, she would always miss running the rooftops, but if she had never been hurt, she never would have found the love she had now. Whether it was a fair trade, she didn't know, but it was one she could live with. It had been hard adjusting to a life without movement, but with Jason and Steph, she was making it work.