Fic: The Little Things (Cass/Jason/Steph)
Title: The Little Things
Fandom: DC Comics
Author: milleniumrex
Word Count: 1655
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Cassandra Cain/Jason Todd/Stephanie Brown
Disclaimer: I don't own DC Comics and never will. Tragically.
Author's Note: Written for the schmoop_bingo prompt Anniversary - First. My card is here. Set in the same verse as Settling Accounts, No One Dies in Crime Alley, and Making it Work, where Cass was paralyzed in an accident on patrol, and inspired by pervyficgirl's Adding Something Better to It. This is more angsty than schmoopy, but there's copious OT3 cuddles, so I say it counts. :p
Warnings: Contains discussion of disability(spinal cord injury) and death.
Summary: Not all anniversaries where the kind you were happy to see come around, but that didn't mean you didn't want to spend them with the people you love.
Jason stepped in the window as morning settled over the Gotham sky. He dusted the last of the ash from the tenement fire off his jacket and cracked open his head-covering. The hood was a good costume, but in summer, it tended to get him a bit overheated. Shaking the sweat out of his hair, he saw Steph standing by the kitchen counter.
"Hey, babe." Jason said as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's been a hell of a patrol. I need a coffee, a smoke, and my favorite girls."
Steph craned her head around to kiss Jason. "Jay! I was getting worried. Everything go okay?"
"Tricorner. You know how it is." Jason shrugged. "Hell on Earth, but nothing new."
"Just let me finish this, and we'll go have breakfast." Steph sighed. "Cass seems to be doing okay so far, but you know it's going to be a hard day for her."
"Why? What's going on today?"
"Jay!" Steph whirled around and lightly punched Jason in the arm. "Don't tell me you actually forgot. It's...been a year today."
Jason smacked his forehead. He had been so distracted lately, it had completely slipped his mind, not that he knew how. There was no way he could ever forget holding Cass' broken body, desperately trying to keep her alive until they could get help. That night had changed all their lives, but Cass had to adjust to a completely different way of life.
"I'm an idiot."
"Yes. You are." Steph smiled. "But at least you realize that. Come on - let's go be with our girl."
-----
It felt like yesterday. Cass closed her eyes, and she could feel the wind on her face as she chased the criminal over the rooftops of Gotham. It had all happened so fast, she hadn't really processed it until later. A lucky shot from her prey. The sharp pain in her side, causing her to miss her grappling hook's target. The fall, which only took a few seconds, but seemed to last an eternity. That faint cracking sound in her neck, followed by a sudden nothingness in her arms and legs.
Three hours of intensive physical therapy a day had kept her body in near-perfect condition, but it didn't change the fact that her injury was functionally complete. It frustrated her to no end - her shoulders were as strong as she could get them, but she couldn't lift her arms. If her injury was a fraction of an inch lower, she would probably have enough arm movement to brush a hair out of her face, turn the pages of a book, or drive a wheelchair with a joystick instead of a sip/puff control, all things that eluded her. It was the little things like that which drove her the most crazy. Cass was not used to hitting a wall, and she hated it.
While she normally took things day by day and tried to focus on the little victories she could claim, today was different. Ever since she had been released from the hospital, she had been focusing on the one-year mark of her injury to set goals for herself. Doc Leslie had tried to tell her this wasn't the best idea, that injuries like hers were unpredictable and it was best not to set herself up for disappointment. To be a year out and still have no movement below her shoulders...She had always treated this injury as a temporary obstacle to be overcome. The thought of spending the rest of her life like this was not something she wanted to consider.
Cass was snapped out of her rare bout of self-pity by a soft kiss on her cheek. She craned her head around to return Steph's kiss, and eyed the covered tray Steph was holding.
"Food?"
"I hand-rolled some sushi." Steph said as she uncovered the tray. "I know you haven't felt like eating much lately, but I know you always liked California Rolls, so..."
"It looks great." Cass forced a smile. She wasn't really hungry, but she knew Steph worried when she didn't eat. "Where's Jay?"
"Showering. I figured smelling him after a night patrolling in 90 degree weather would put anyone off food." Steph nodded towards the bathroom. "So it's just us girls until he towels off."
Steph used the chopsticks to pick up a piece of sushi and held it in front of Cass' mouth. Cass reached her head forward and took it. She still hated having someone feed her, but Steph was so attuned to her pace by now that she was almost used to it. Besides, Steph knew how to prepare some really good California Rolls.
Jason walked out of the shower as Cass and Steph were finishing up. Taking the control straw in her mouth, Cass quickly turned the chair towards Jason.
"Missed you too, girl." Jason said as he leaned down, giving Cass a long, passionate kiss. "How're you holding up today?"
"Been better. I want to punch things. But..." Cass nodded down towards her arms, motionless in their armrests. "Catch-22."
Steph walked over and put her arm around Cass' shoulders. "Just tell us what you need today. Whatever it is, we're here for you."
Cass sighed. "I guess...you've got 'anniversaries' too, right? How do you deal with them?"
Steph and Jason exchanged a meaningful look. Neither of them liked to talk too much about their past traumas, but it was always something that influenced them.
Jason spoke first. "The first year I was alive for the anniversary of my death...It was ugly. I went out looking for any fight I could. I got the shit kicked out of me, and the physical pain kind of numbed the mental pain. When that didn't work anymore, I drank. I just burned the day away, any way I could. And I hated it. I felt weak, pathetic. So the next year, I decided I would do something productive with it. That's how my tradition of patrolling crime alley all day started. The problem was, that was just another way to be self-destructive, if a slightly less pointless one. It probably would have gotten me killed, if you two didn't convince me to accept some help."
"That's because we're smart." Cass said, a smile flickering across her face.
"This year, when it rolls around...I don't really know what I'll do." Jason said. "But I guess I'll figure it out when it comes."
Cass turned her head towards Steph expectantly. Steph sighed. If she was being honest with herself, she had been running from the incident that had nearly ended her life for a long time. In Africa, there had been so much to do everyday, so many other things to concentrate on that she had never had time to dwell on it. When she came back, Gotham kept her busy. Cass had been injured shortly after, and between helping her adjust and figuring out her relationship with Cass and Jason, anniversaries came and went with barely a notice. Not that she was under any illusion this meant it wasn't a concern for her - it was just that she was really good at avoiding the issue.
"I guess...I don't really do much when it rolls around. Anything, really. I just try to throw myself into other things. Distract myself anyway I can."
Cass eyed her with a bemused suspicion. "So that Tuesday..."
"When I woke you up early, convinced you that you really needed to get out of the house more, and wound up making an impromptu decision that we would take the riverboat around Gotham? Yeah..."
"It was a fun day." Cass smiled.
"Although threatening to throw that kid who was bugging you overboard may have been a bit OTT. Jay's supposed to be the crazy one in this relationship." Steph laughed.
"Har har." Jason smirked. He turned to Cass. "So that's our screwed-up way of coping, I guess. But the question is, what do you need? Because whatever it is, you've got it."
Cass smiled, feeling slightly more at peace. "Both of you. That's all."
Steph nodded. "We'll stay in today. Watch some old movies. How does that sound?"
"Great. Popcorn?"
Steph motioned towards Jason. "Can you toss a bag in the microwave while I look through the DVDs?"
"Roger. But if you pick something dumb, I reserve the right to add my own Rifftrax."
"And I reserve the right to kick you!" Steph laughed as she threw a pillow at him.
"Twice for me." Cass nodded approvingly.
-----
15 minutes later, the movie was playing on their flat-screen TV. Steph was curled up against Cass' side, while Jason's hand was pressed onto hers. Sometimes she wondered if she was strong enough for everything that lay ahead, but she knew if she couldn't handle it at any moment, they'd be strong for her. The day had begun with her wondering if she should even keep fighting, but those doubts were gone. One year gone, or any other day, she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't do everything in her power to get better. She still believed that one day she'd be able to move again, to be able to return Steph's embrace or squeeze Jason's hand. But if it didn't happen, if this was her life now, she'd be okay, because she knew that no matter what, she'd have her lovers to fall back on. It was the little things that made things hard, but it was also the little things, like a girlfriend who always remembered your favorite foods, or a boyfriend who knew how the perfect balance of jerk and charming, or watching a movie with the two people who understood you better than anyone else, that made life worth it. There weren't going to be any easy answers, but as days went, this was a good one.
Fandom: DC Comics
Author: milleniumrex
Word Count: 1655
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Cassandra Cain/Jason Todd/Stephanie Brown
Disclaimer: I don't own DC Comics and never will. Tragically.
Author's Note: Written for the schmoop_bingo prompt Anniversary - First. My card is here. Set in the same verse as Settling Accounts, No One Dies in Crime Alley, and Making it Work, where Cass was paralyzed in an accident on patrol, and inspired by pervyficgirl's Adding Something Better to It. This is more angsty than schmoopy, but there's copious OT3 cuddles, so I say it counts. :p
Warnings: Contains discussion of disability(spinal cord injury) and death.
Summary: Not all anniversaries where the kind you were happy to see come around, but that didn't mean you didn't want to spend them with the people you love.
Jason stepped in the window as morning settled over the Gotham sky. He dusted the last of the ash from the tenement fire off his jacket and cracked open his head-covering. The hood was a good costume, but in summer, it tended to get him a bit overheated. Shaking the sweat out of his hair, he saw Steph standing by the kitchen counter.
"Hey, babe." Jason said as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's been a hell of a patrol. I need a coffee, a smoke, and my favorite girls."
Steph craned her head around to kiss Jason. "Jay! I was getting worried. Everything go okay?"
"Tricorner. You know how it is." Jason shrugged. "Hell on Earth, but nothing new."
"Just let me finish this, and we'll go have breakfast." Steph sighed. "Cass seems to be doing okay so far, but you know it's going to be a hard day for her."
"Why? What's going on today?"
"Jay!" Steph whirled around and lightly punched Jason in the arm. "Don't tell me you actually forgot. It's...been a year today."
Jason smacked his forehead. He had been so distracted lately, it had completely slipped his mind, not that he knew how. There was no way he could ever forget holding Cass' broken body, desperately trying to keep her alive until they could get help. That night had changed all their lives, but Cass had to adjust to a completely different way of life.
"I'm an idiot."
"Yes. You are." Steph smiled. "But at least you realize that. Come on - let's go be with our girl."
-----
It felt like yesterday. Cass closed her eyes, and she could feel the wind on her face as she chased the criminal over the rooftops of Gotham. It had all happened so fast, she hadn't really processed it until later. A lucky shot from her prey. The sharp pain in her side, causing her to miss her grappling hook's target. The fall, which only took a few seconds, but seemed to last an eternity. That faint cracking sound in her neck, followed by a sudden nothingness in her arms and legs.
Three hours of intensive physical therapy a day had kept her body in near-perfect condition, but it didn't change the fact that her injury was functionally complete. It frustrated her to no end - her shoulders were as strong as she could get them, but she couldn't lift her arms. If her injury was a fraction of an inch lower, she would probably have enough arm movement to brush a hair out of her face, turn the pages of a book, or drive a wheelchair with a joystick instead of a sip/puff control, all things that eluded her. It was the little things like that which drove her the most crazy. Cass was not used to hitting a wall, and she hated it.
While she normally took things day by day and tried to focus on the little victories she could claim, today was different. Ever since she had been released from the hospital, she had been focusing on the one-year mark of her injury to set goals for herself. Doc Leslie had tried to tell her this wasn't the best idea, that injuries like hers were unpredictable and it was best not to set herself up for disappointment. To be a year out and still have no movement below her shoulders...She had always treated this injury as a temporary obstacle to be overcome. The thought of spending the rest of her life like this was not something she wanted to consider.
Cass was snapped out of her rare bout of self-pity by a soft kiss on her cheek. She craned her head around to return Steph's kiss, and eyed the covered tray Steph was holding.
"Food?"
"I hand-rolled some sushi." Steph said as she uncovered the tray. "I know you haven't felt like eating much lately, but I know you always liked California Rolls, so..."
"It looks great." Cass forced a smile. She wasn't really hungry, but she knew Steph worried when she didn't eat. "Where's Jay?"
"Showering. I figured smelling him after a night patrolling in 90 degree weather would put anyone off food." Steph nodded towards the bathroom. "So it's just us girls until he towels off."
Steph used the chopsticks to pick up a piece of sushi and held it in front of Cass' mouth. Cass reached her head forward and took it. She still hated having someone feed her, but Steph was so attuned to her pace by now that she was almost used to it. Besides, Steph knew how to prepare some really good California Rolls.
Jason walked out of the shower as Cass and Steph were finishing up. Taking the control straw in her mouth, Cass quickly turned the chair towards Jason.
"Missed you too, girl." Jason said as he leaned down, giving Cass a long, passionate kiss. "How're you holding up today?"
"Been better. I want to punch things. But..." Cass nodded down towards her arms, motionless in their armrests. "Catch-22."
Steph walked over and put her arm around Cass' shoulders. "Just tell us what you need today. Whatever it is, we're here for you."
Cass sighed. "I guess...you've got 'anniversaries' too, right? How do you deal with them?"
Steph and Jason exchanged a meaningful look. Neither of them liked to talk too much about their past traumas, but it was always something that influenced them.
Jason spoke first. "The first year I was alive for the anniversary of my death...It was ugly. I went out looking for any fight I could. I got the shit kicked out of me, and the physical pain kind of numbed the mental pain. When that didn't work anymore, I drank. I just burned the day away, any way I could. And I hated it. I felt weak, pathetic. So the next year, I decided I would do something productive with it. That's how my tradition of patrolling crime alley all day started. The problem was, that was just another way to be self-destructive, if a slightly less pointless one. It probably would have gotten me killed, if you two didn't convince me to accept some help."
"That's because we're smart." Cass said, a smile flickering across her face.
"This year, when it rolls around...I don't really know what I'll do." Jason said. "But I guess I'll figure it out when it comes."
Cass turned her head towards Steph expectantly. Steph sighed. If she was being honest with herself, she had been running from the incident that had nearly ended her life for a long time. In Africa, there had been so much to do everyday, so many other things to concentrate on that she had never had time to dwell on it. When she came back, Gotham kept her busy. Cass had been injured shortly after, and between helping her adjust and figuring out her relationship with Cass and Jason, anniversaries came and went with barely a notice. Not that she was under any illusion this meant it wasn't a concern for her - it was just that she was really good at avoiding the issue.
"I guess...I don't really do much when it rolls around. Anything, really. I just try to throw myself into other things. Distract myself anyway I can."
Cass eyed her with a bemused suspicion. "So that Tuesday..."
"When I woke you up early, convinced you that you really needed to get out of the house more, and wound up making an impromptu decision that we would take the riverboat around Gotham? Yeah..."
"It was a fun day." Cass smiled.
"Although threatening to throw that kid who was bugging you overboard may have been a bit OTT. Jay's supposed to be the crazy one in this relationship." Steph laughed.
"Har har." Jason smirked. He turned to Cass. "So that's our screwed-up way of coping, I guess. But the question is, what do you need? Because whatever it is, you've got it."
Cass smiled, feeling slightly more at peace. "Both of you. That's all."
Steph nodded. "We'll stay in today. Watch some old movies. How does that sound?"
"Great. Popcorn?"
Steph motioned towards Jason. "Can you toss a bag in the microwave while I look through the DVDs?"
"Roger. But if you pick something dumb, I reserve the right to add my own Rifftrax."
"And I reserve the right to kick you!" Steph laughed as she threw a pillow at him.
"Twice for me." Cass nodded approvingly.
-----
15 minutes later, the movie was playing on their flat-screen TV. Steph was curled up against Cass' side, while Jason's hand was pressed onto hers. Sometimes she wondered if she was strong enough for everything that lay ahead, but she knew if she couldn't handle it at any moment, they'd be strong for her. The day had begun with her wondering if she should even keep fighting, but those doubts were gone. One year gone, or any other day, she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't do everything in her power to get better. She still believed that one day she'd be able to move again, to be able to return Steph's embrace or squeeze Jason's hand. But if it didn't happen, if this was her life now, she'd be okay, because she knew that no matter what, she'd have her lovers to fall back on. It was the little things that made things hard, but it was also the little things, like a girlfriend who always remembered your favorite foods, or a boyfriend who knew how the perfect balance of jerk and charming, or watching a movie with the two people who understood you better than anyone else, that made life worth it. There weren't going to be any easy answers, but as days went, this was a good one.