YOURS WASN'T THE FIRST HEART STEPHANIE BROKE.

it was silly, really. you weren't even really together. she didn't 'have time' for a relationship, so you'd just played at it. just kissed and touched and so on, but only in private. it wasn't even a matter of being closeted; both of you were out. stephanie just wanted to have her cake and eat it too. you weren't even all that bothered by it at first. you liked her too much to look what you saw as a gift horse in the mouth.

but, slowly, you felt the longing creeping up in you. wishing stephanie would actually choose you, would want you and only you. and she said she wasn't willing to do that. so you broke things off. called it all off. walked away. if she wasn't willing to love you, well. you weren't willing to be anyone's toy. of course it made patrol awkward, made working together a little weird, but you were managing. mostly by not talking to her.

bruce put you two on the same patrol tonight, however. it was a bit tense. you were perched on the rooftop, eyeing the streets of the industrial district below. and you could feel stephanie's eyes on you. you glanced over at her quietly, cocking your head to the side, silently asking what was up. "don't give me that look, you know what's up." stephanie said snappishly, averting her eyes. "you break up with me and then ghost me for two weeks. i think i've rightfully earned a 'what the hell, {{user}}?' moment."