Steph groans and pulls the pillow over her head when the shades are pulled back to let in the rare sunlight.
"I would say it is time to get up young miss."
Fuck. Of course, Alfred would be the one to wake her. It must be breakfast time since the elderly butler hated when they missed any meals.
"What time is it?" came the muffled question.
"8 a.m." his gentlemanly reply answered.
Damn, he is definitely disappointed.
"I will expect you downstairs in five minutes to join us for breakfast." He practically ordered before leaving.
Even though she wanted nothing more than to stay there in the warm bed. No one ignored Alfred. It was the founding rule of the household.
Pulling herself up, she slowly made her way down the hallway and stairs. Looking down to see new bandages on her hand. She must have really been out of it to not wake when they were changed.
Upon arriving., all her siblings (which was weird to think of them as such as she wasn't even adopted) were sitting at the table except for the big man himself.
To the right of the head of the table sat Jason, Cass, and then Tim. While on the left sat Dick, then Damian, and finally her spot.
Walking over she mumbled responses to the greetings she got before sitting down as Alfred promptly offered her medicine and tea. Nodding a grateful thanks, she then laid her arms on the table and hid her face. Praying that it would not be a typical breakfast with all the noise.
"Steph you okay?" glancing over her arms she mad eye contact with her best friend turned temporary boyfriend turned brother. (Not to make it weird. They tried dating, but it was so strange they just both buried that memory).
Before she could respond, the king of smartasses jumped in.
"Pretty bird here got herself wasted last night." Jason grinned at the glare thrown his way. Funny that it was amusing now seeing how pissed he was last night.
"Tt. Of course, Brown would do something as idiotic as that. Almost as moronic as you are Todd." The youngest rolled his eyes. But Steph did not even bother with a witty response.
"How drunk?" Tim asked with mischief in his eyes.
"Tiimmm." She whined at his betrayal, hiding her face once again while the others laughed at her expense.
"Stephanie." The room went silent as the deep voice of the Wayne patriarch filled the room and focused that intense gaze on her. A look that still made her stomach sink with dread at the disappointment that was sure to come.
"How are you feeling?" he asked before calmly sitting down. No doubt already knowing all the details about her little night out.
Ignoring the pit in her stomach and the pounding in her head, she sat up fully before responding.
"Fine." Putting all the confidence she had into that one word.
Ever since moving in, she has not been sure of what their relationship was anymore. It was never the best in the past but now it seemed awkward.
"Good because after breakfast I want to see you downstairs. you have a lot to work out of your system." Unsure if he was talking about the grief or the fact that she got drunk last night, she answered with a nod.
About 45 minutes later she was waiting for the inevitable in the emo cave (her new name for it) doing some warmups in a miss mash of the others workout clothes (for some reason she had started taking the boys clothes). Her headache had finally subsided.
A quiet sound from the steps pulled her out of her thoughts and to the surroundings. Tensing a little when it was, in fact, Bruce coming closer.
"Let me see your hand." He said before she could ask what they would be doing. Lifting it gently to examine the whole thing. Every finger and knuckle.
As he did so, she was entranced but his carefulness and concern. Something she rarely saw.
"It looks to just be bruised. I want you to be careful about a while even still." He ordered as he let go.
"Right." She played with the bandages in hopes of avoiding eye contact. Which never usually bothered her. Knowing he would want a vivid description of last night, she finally looked up.
"Bruce about last night-."
"What you did was completely irresponsible and dangerous. I know you were trained to defend yourself, but you were also trained to use common sense. Last night was the act of a child." Gone was the patient Bat from this morning. In his place was the protective Daddy Bats that now stood before her.
Even though she knew she only had herself to blame for last night and he was wrong in what he said. It didn't make being called a child (who Bruce said he didn't work with) any easier. Anger quickly took the place of the quilt.
"Well, you can add it to the list of things I have disappointed you on."
"Do not turn this into an attack on you. You knew exactly what you were doing and how it would end." Bruce growled at her.
Anger morphed into rage as he criticized her on her mistakes. Resulting in her losing all sense and lunging at him.
With every punch swung at his face, he would dodge or block. Causing her to become angrier at not being able to land a single attack. Even still, with everything that had happened lately, there was no shortage of pain and grief.
Bruce swept her feet from underneath her. The air rushing out of her sore body when her back hit the mat. But like a true Bat, she played through the pain and jumped back to her feet. Doing a complicated flip (taught from Dick himself) where she landed on his shoulders. Legs wrapped around his neck. Pulling backward to flip him over.
This time he landed on his back but within a second, he flipped them around to be back on top. Locking her arms down with his legs, careful to avoid her injured hand.
The more she struggled to get free the more frustrated she became until sadness filled her body.
"Let go!" she yelled to which Bruce was unaffected.
"Are you going to calm down?"
"Get off asshole!" this of course was the wrong thing to say as he fixed her with a glare.
"You will be free to go when you are done with your tantrum."
It was at that moment the dam broke.
Whether it be the grief finally setting in, the hangover, the pain at not being truly accepted by him, or the fact that Bruce spoke to her like he would one of his kids. Not like a girl who was his son's best friend.
Steph lay motionless under her mentor as the tears quickly filled her eyes and flowed down. Realizing he had loosened his grip. She threw one arm over her face as everything came out.
"It's not fair." It wasn't. They had all needed Bruce at some point. Really needed him and he was always there. For the others anyway. But not her. No, she felt like he had tossed her aside like her own father had done.
Bruce removed her arm gently before wiping away her tears in one of the most loving acts he had ever done for her.
"I know." He looked at her with full understanding and regret. Knowing the pain, she was going through and asking for forgiveness for how he treated her.
Without even thinking, she got her other arm free before throwing them around him as she silently cried into that strong chest. Protective arms wrapping firming around her.
After what seemed like hours, she pulled away and wiped the remaining tears.
"Sorry."
"Don't be. We are here for you Stephanie. Don't ever forget that." He cupped her face with a look of true paternal love. Something she had craved her entire life.
Nodding thanks, she ducked her head in embarrassment.
"Ready to go up?" he asked. Nodding she stood as an awkward silence filled the cave.
"Also, you are grounded for two weeks." He stated before walking over to the stairs.
"What?! Bruce that's not fair." She ran to catch up with his long strides.
"It is completely fair seeing as what you pulled. I will not have one of my kids running around getting drunk. But if you are unhappy, I can make it three weeks." He turned to her as they reached the bottoms of the stairs.
"No no. that is okay. Two is fine." She rushed in hopes of backtracking. Before realizing what he actually said.
"Wait. Did you call me your kid?" she stood shocked at the man before her.
"Stephanie. You have always been one of mine. Adopted or not. there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. I am sorry it took so long for me to say that."
"Wow comforting, admitting I am your kid and an apology. You must be exhausted from that emotional strain." She smirked.
"Smartass. You need to stop hanging around Jason and Dick." She rolled her eyes
"Please, I am my own level of smartass." Beaming at the short laugh she managed to pull out of the stoic man.
"That you are." he confirmed before turning to head up the stairs. As she bounced up the stairs after her mentor. She couldn't help but feel like what they had going might actually work.