FIC: Puzzle [DCU]
May. 25th, 2010 02:09![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
schizoauthoressTitle: Puzzle
Author: D.L.SchizoAuthoress
Rating: PG
Spoilers: set post-BftC/passing of the Batgirl mantle
Warnings: a spot of violence
Prompt: DCU, Jason Todd/Cass Cain, Bat outcasts
Word Count: 1024
Summary: Normal is a very subjective term
This story ties into the 'Where Your Heart Is' stories, as a prequel to those ficlets. Good grief, I can hardly write a drabble in the DCU without growing it into a series!
Puzzle
They're in Greece the first time they meet. She's busy tracking down Richard Dragon; he's wandering around the National Garden in Athens and trying to pretend he's a normal tourist.
Jason meant what he said, when he and the other 'Challengers' had finally found themselves back in New Earth's Metropolis. The cape-and-cowl game is for suckers. But he'd found himself falling into the same old patterns when he stayed in Gotham, so he'd said goodbye to his city again (taking comfort that this time he would remain in the same universe as she) and started wandering the world. Pretending to be normal. Because he's realizing that it is pretending -- he's never know what 'normal' is, not for his whole life.
He's being observed. Cassandra is glad that he doesn't catch on right away. She thinks that maybe she knows him from somewhere but can't be sure. She keeps her head down, deliberately not looking at him, as she passes him on one of the pathways through the Garden.
She looks familiar. Jason is sure that he should recognize her from somewhere, but he can't remember where he should know a pretty Asian girl from. He debates whether or not he should ask her -- maybe she was at the same private school Bruce stuck him in during his Robin days? -- but before he can make a decision, a terrified cry breaks the calm of settling dusk.
"Áfisé me ísihi!" A woman screams. They both look up, eyes scanning, bodies tensed and at ready. Neither of them know what the words mean, but the fear in her voice is clear enough. They take off running in the direction of her voice at the same time. They say nothing, accepting the temporary alliance forged in their twinned reactions to someone in trouble.
Irodou Attikou comes into view as Cass and Jason finally arrive on the scene. The woman has one hand to her face and cries out, "Voíthia! Voíthia!" (which Jason knows; since his Robins insisted on working with the Titans and globe-hopping, Batman made sure that they at least knew what 'help!' sounded like in as many languages as possible). A big man shakes her roughly by the shoulder as he yanks the large purse out of her grasp.
Someone else shouts, "Kálese tin astynomía!" and, at him and the Asian girl, "Stamatíste!" but Jason's hell-bent on making the purse-snatcher pay -- Crime Alley memories of too many women cowering and in pain like this one spur him on.
Cass is quicker than her unexpected companion, and launches into a flying kick that impacts the purse-snatcher where his shoulder meets his chest, breaking his grip. A moment later, Jason's there with a fist to the man's jaw, and Cass uses Jason's broad shoulder as a springboard to flip clear of the fray. She's got the purse in one hand and flings her arm out to shield the woman, landing in a protective stance between the victim and the two brawling men.
The dazed purse-snatcher makes the mistake of taking a badly aimed swing at Jason, who is happy to educate the would-be thief on proper fighting technique by dislocating his kneecap with a vicious kick. The man goes down with a pained scream, and Jason follows him down -- pinning the thief's legs with one knee and twisting an arm into a painful lock. Jason's fingers flex as he considers whipping out one of his blades to use in payback for the frightened Greek woman's black eye -- Cass sees him and snaps,
"No!" He glares at her; unfazed, she gestures with her chin to one of the bystanders, who has a mobile phone out. "Police," she says, explanation and warning all at once.
He grunts his acknowledgment and jerks his head to one side, indicating that she needs to take a look at the woman they've saved. The worry in his bright blue eyes is overwhelming the anger and hate that were there a moment ago. His concern for the victim is like a final puzzle piece sliding into place -- Cass realizes who he must be.
****
"Jason!" she calls out, seeing him hurrying away from the Athens police department. (The police had not been too happy about two foreigners 'interfering' in their work, but since the purse-snatcher was a known repeat offender and neither Cass nor Jason had really done anything wrong, they were free to go.) His shoulders stiffen as he glares back at her. But he doesn't move as she nimbly weaves her way through the crowd between them. Perhaps he is as curious about her as she is about him.
"Who are you?" he asks gruffly, when she makes it to his side.
"Cass. Cassandra Cain."
His voice drops to a whisper she can barely hear, "Babs' Batgirl?"
"Not anymore," she replies just as softly, "Robin."
He grimaces. "Point taken." He shoves both hands into his jacket pockets and rocks back on his heels for a moment. "Hey, you got somewhere to be?"
"No," she says, amused at his awkwardness.
"Come on," he speaks decisively, and suits action to word, turning away from her and walking up the street. She follows, intrigued. "You're at least seventeen, right?"
"I'm the same age as you," Cass points out.
He looks at her again, frank interest in his eyes. She feels a bit like preening as his gaze sweeps her, and returns the favor with an appraising look of her own, which makes him grin. There's a touch of Robin bravado in that grin, but it's enough his own, too.
"We'll go to a bar," he explains, "and we can trade Bat outcast stories over a few beers."
Cass studies him out of the corner of her eye. He won't obligate her to drink, that's clear enough. He probably only suggested it because that's the sort of thing he knows people do.
"All right," she shrugs, and hooks her arm around his. They walk together, and Jason is surprised, both at how happy that simple gesture makes him, and how normal all this is.
****
Cass and Jason just overwhelmed my muse with their awesome. *sigh*
Author: D.L.SchizoAuthoress
Rating: PG
Spoilers: set post-BftC/passing of the Batgirl mantle
Warnings: a spot of violence
Prompt: DCU, Jason Todd/Cass Cain, Bat outcasts
Word Count: 1024
Summary: Normal is a very subjective term
This story ties into the 'Where Your Heart Is' stories, as a prequel to those ficlets. Good grief, I can hardly write a drabble in the DCU without growing it into a series!
Puzzle
They're in Greece the first time they meet. She's busy tracking down Richard Dragon; he's wandering around the National Garden in Athens and trying to pretend he's a normal tourist.
Jason meant what he said, when he and the other 'Challengers' had finally found themselves back in New Earth's Metropolis. The cape-and-cowl game is for suckers. But he'd found himself falling into the same old patterns when he stayed in Gotham, so he'd said goodbye to his city again (taking comfort that this time he would remain in the same universe as she) and started wandering the world. Pretending to be normal. Because he's realizing that it is pretending -- he's never know what 'normal' is, not for his whole life.
He's being observed. Cassandra is glad that he doesn't catch on right away. She thinks that maybe she knows him from somewhere but can't be sure. She keeps her head down, deliberately not looking at him, as she passes him on one of the pathways through the Garden.
She looks familiar. Jason is sure that he should recognize her from somewhere, but he can't remember where he should know a pretty Asian girl from. He debates whether or not he should ask her -- maybe she was at the same private school Bruce stuck him in during his Robin days? -- but before he can make a decision, a terrified cry breaks the calm of settling dusk.
"Áfisé me ísihi!" A woman screams. They both look up, eyes scanning, bodies tensed and at ready. Neither of them know what the words mean, but the fear in her voice is clear enough. They take off running in the direction of her voice at the same time. They say nothing, accepting the temporary alliance forged in their twinned reactions to someone in trouble.
Irodou Attikou comes into view as Cass and Jason finally arrive on the scene. The woman has one hand to her face and cries out, "Voíthia! Voíthia!" (which Jason knows; since his Robins insisted on working with the Titans and globe-hopping, Batman made sure that they at least knew what 'help!' sounded like in as many languages as possible). A big man shakes her roughly by the shoulder as he yanks the large purse out of her grasp.
Someone else shouts, "Kálese tin astynomía!" and, at him and the Asian girl, "Stamatíste!" but Jason's hell-bent on making the purse-snatcher pay -- Crime Alley memories of too many women cowering and in pain like this one spur him on.
Cass is quicker than her unexpected companion, and launches into a flying kick that impacts the purse-snatcher where his shoulder meets his chest, breaking his grip. A moment later, Jason's there with a fist to the man's jaw, and Cass uses Jason's broad shoulder as a springboard to flip clear of the fray. She's got the purse in one hand and flings her arm out to shield the woman, landing in a protective stance between the victim and the two brawling men.
The dazed purse-snatcher makes the mistake of taking a badly aimed swing at Jason, who is happy to educate the would-be thief on proper fighting technique by dislocating his kneecap with a vicious kick. The man goes down with a pained scream, and Jason follows him down -- pinning the thief's legs with one knee and twisting an arm into a painful lock. Jason's fingers flex as he considers whipping out one of his blades to use in payback for the frightened Greek woman's black eye -- Cass sees him and snaps,
"No!" He glares at her; unfazed, she gestures with her chin to one of the bystanders, who has a mobile phone out. "Police," she says, explanation and warning all at once.
He grunts his acknowledgment and jerks his head to one side, indicating that she needs to take a look at the woman they've saved. The worry in his bright blue eyes is overwhelming the anger and hate that were there a moment ago. His concern for the victim is like a final puzzle piece sliding into place -- Cass realizes who he must be.
****
"Jason!" she calls out, seeing him hurrying away from the Athens police department. (The police had not been too happy about two foreigners 'interfering' in their work, but since the purse-snatcher was a known repeat offender and neither Cass nor Jason had really done anything wrong, they were free to go.) His shoulders stiffen as he glares back at her. But he doesn't move as she nimbly weaves her way through the crowd between them. Perhaps he is as curious about her as she is about him.
"Who are you?" he asks gruffly, when she makes it to his side.
"Cass. Cassandra Cain."
His voice drops to a whisper she can barely hear, "Babs' Batgirl?"
"Not anymore," she replies just as softly, "Robin."
He grimaces. "Point taken." He shoves both hands into his jacket pockets and rocks back on his heels for a moment. "Hey, you got somewhere to be?"
"No," she says, amused at his awkwardness.
"Come on," he speaks decisively, and suits action to word, turning away from her and walking up the street. She follows, intrigued. "You're at least seventeen, right?"
"I'm the same age as you," Cass points out.
He looks at her again, frank interest in his eyes. She feels a bit like preening as his gaze sweeps her, and returns the favor with an appraising look of her own, which makes him grin. There's a touch of Robin bravado in that grin, but it's enough his own, too.
"We'll go to a bar," he explains, "and we can trade Bat outcast stories over a few beers."
Cass studies him out of the corner of her eye. He won't obligate her to drink, that's clear enough. He probably only suggested it because that's the sort of thing he knows people do.
"All right," she shrugs, and hooks her arm around his. They walk together, and Jason is surprised, both at how happy that simple gesture makes him, and how normal all this is.
****
Cass and Jason just overwhelmed my muse with their awesome. *sigh*
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no subject
on 2010-05-25 08:17 (UTC)