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" Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind—or forgotten ." When she was younger, and she first heard that stupid alien-dog say that, Stephanie felt a tug on her heart. It was stupid though. She had been left behind plenty of times.
Hell, the first time she ever watched it, she had been 'left behind'. Dad was in jail, again, and mom was off, all the way across town, at a pharmacy where they didn't know her name. It didn't change though, how she would replay that movie again and again. How she would always get to that part and feel some type of way. Her throat would burn and she would find herself blinking back tears.
"Brown. Brown. I request you wake up at once." Had it not been for the cat that was unceremoniously deposited on her head, like a weapon, Stephanie would've stayed in bed. However, Alfred the cat was making his way down her back, and Stephanie tried not to groan.
"What do you want Damian?" She turned her head, opening her eyes to look at the imposing eleven year old, his arm in a sling. Damian looked back at her, the tips of his ears burning a bit.
"It appears that my broken arm, is causing me issues when it comes to sleep, and I have read online that the best way to deal with moments like this is to perhaps put on a movie. However, Grayson is not here, so I realize that you are the next best option for this." Stephanie tries not to groan once more as she shifts in her bed, nudging Alfred off of her back and onto the bed.
"So you want me to pick out a movie?" Stephanie felt delirious. Damian Wayne, Demon's Son, Son of the Bat, Gotham's Gray Son, was asking her pick out a movie for him to help him go to sleep.
"I will be in the living room on the second floor." He didn't bother answering her question. "Bring Alfred with you. Titus is already waiting for us." With that, he stalked out of her room, expecting her to follow him. Stephanie tried not to groan as she sat up, reaching for her phone and glancing at it it read 2AM. It meant that Bruce and Tim were still out on patrol.
She scooped up Alfred in her arms, heading to the second floor living room. Damian had already seemed set up, having dragged two pillows, and the fluffy purple blanket from the closet. Stephanie's favorites. Titus was sitting in one of the arm chairs, and both she and Damian knew that the behemoth of a dog wasn't allowed there, but that didn't mean that either of them were going to tell him to get down.
"Where's the remote?" She asked as she flopped onto the couch, letting Alfred free from her hold. The cat meowed before finding his owner's lap, curling up and making himself comfortable as Damian passed the remote to Stephanie. This living room had one of those smart TVs and everyone, everyone's names popped up on the netflix screen. Ten different profiles for the people who used the family netflix account. Stephanie wasn't sure that Bruce actually watched anything, but Cass claimed that he did.
She thumbed through to her profile, looking for a good comfort movie for Damian. Nothing gory, because while she was sure it could comfort him, she knew it sure as hell wouldn't comfort her. When she spotted the movie, Stephanie hesitated for a moment. Unsure if that was the right one, but decided it was her best option. It was a comfort movie for her sometimes. Maybe it would be a comfort movie for Damian too.
"What is this?" Damian looked, pretending to be uninterested as the opening scene began.
"This, Baby Bat, is a movie about an alien who finds its way to earth, and then… well then the alien finds it's family." She glances at him, throwing the blanket over the two of them, ignoring Damian's complaints that she was too close to him. That was her best explanation for what the movie was about.
As the movie progressed, she could hear Bruce and Tim coming upstairs from patrol, and Tim briefly stopped by the door, raising an eyebrow before slipping in to sit on the arm of the couch.
"I haven't watched this movie in years." He commented, only to be instantly shushed by Damian, who was watching the movie with keen interest.
She noticed Bruce's presence, lingering by the door, and apparently Titus does as well, because he jumps off of the couch and makes his way to lay at Damian's feet. As if satisfied, Bruce gave what Stephanie would've mistaken for a smile. No sooner had he walked away to his study, did Titus make his way back up into the chair. Stephanie couldn't help but laugh a bit.
This, was Stephanie's family. It wasn't little, and it was broken in so many ways, but when she thought about it, when she thought about family, her heart didn't hurt, and it didn't make her cry.